US steel imports fell 12% in 2018

All five of the largest offshore suppliers, with the exception of Vietnam, reported declines in US steel shipments.

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) today reported that total steel imports into the country in 2018 decreased by 11.5%. Meanwhile, imports of finished steel also fell 13.1% over the previous year. This is based on the latest US trade statistics.

In 2018, the United States imported a total of 33.731 million tonnes of steel. Imports of finished steel to the country amounted to 25.694 million tons. Among the various product categories, only hot rolled sheets and plate in coils recorded higher imports in 2018 compared to the previous year, with imports growing by 22.2% and 14.7%, respectively. Imports of heavy structural forms declined the most over the previous year, down 33.8% year on year. Other key finished steel products that saw a significant decline in imports were wire rods (-27.0%), reinforcing bars (-25.4%).

The largest steel suppliers to the United States in 2018 were South Korea, Japan, Germany, Turkey, and Vietnam. All five of the largest offshore suppliers, with the exception of Vietnam, reported declines in US steel shipments.

The total imports of finished steel to the United States in December 2018 amounted to 1.898 million tonnes and 1.679 million tonnes, respectively. Since November 18, total and final steel imports into the country have decreased by 20.4% and 12.6%.

The main finished steel products with a noticeable increase in imports are: heavy structural sections (+ 19.8%) and pipelines (+ 12.1%). On the other hand, ingots, billets and slabs reported a huge decline in imports of more than 53% year on year.