STEEL IMPORTS UP 22% YTD OVER SAME PERIOD IN 2016 Finished Import Market Share YTD at 28%
time2017/08/23
Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI)
reported today that the U.S. imported a total of 3,472,000 net tons (NT) of steel in July 2017, including 2,868,000
net tons (NT) of finished steel (down 11.5% and 4.0%, respectively, vs. June final data). Year-to-date (YTD)
through seven months of 2017, total and finished steel imports are 23,168,000 and 17,938,000 net tons (NT), up
22.1% and 17.3%, respectively, vs. the same period in 2016. Annualized total and finished steel imports in 2017
would be 39.7 and 30.8 million NT, up 20.3% and 16.8%, respectively, vs. 2016. Finished steel import market
share was an estimated 29% in July and is estimated at 28% YTD.
Key finished steel products with significant import increases in July compared to June include standard pipe
(up 38%), cut lengths plates (up 28%), line pipe (up 17%) and oil country goods (up 12%). Major products
with significant year-to-date (YTD) increases vs. the same period in 2016 include oil country goods (up
254%), standard pipe (up 47%), line pipe (up 39%), cold rolled sheets (up 37%), sheets and strip all other
metallic coatings (up 35%), mechanical tubing (up 32%), hot rolled bars (up 26%), sheets and strip hot dipped
galvanized (up 25%), wire rods (up 13%) and tin plate (up 11%).
In July, the largest volumes of finished steel imports from offshore were from South Korea (337,000 NT, down13% from June final), Turkey (252,000 NT, down 23%), Germany (148,000 NT, up 27%), Japan (137,000 NT, down2%) and Taiwan (120,000 NT, down 29%). For the first seven months of 2017, the largest offshore suppliers wereSouth Korea (2,265,000 NT, down 5% vs. the same period in 2016), Turkey (1,723,000 NT, up 14%), Japan (937,000NT, down 12%), Taiwan (784,000 NT, up 54%) and Germany (750,000 NT, up 7%). Below are charts on estimatedsteel import market share in recent months and on finished steel imports from offshore by country