[Ferro-Alloys.com] Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the U.S. imported a total of 2,000,000 net tons (NT) of steel in August 2019, including 1,783,000 net tons (NT) of finished steel (down 34.0% and 3.4%, respectively, vs. July final data).

Through the first eight months of 2019, total and finished steel imports are 20,668,000 and 15,321,000 net tons (NT), down 13.6% and 15.9%, respectively, vs. the same period in 2018. Annualized total and finished steel imports in 2019 would be 31.0 and 23.0 million NT, down 8.1% and 10.6%, respectively, vs. 2018. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 19% in August and is estimated at 20% over the first eight months of 2019.

A key finished steel product with a significant import increase in August compared to July was hot rolled sheets (up 10%).

In August the largest volumes of finished steel imports from offshore were from South Korea (263,000 NT, up 46% from July final), Japan (134,000 NT, up 54%), Germany (75,000 NT, down 1%), Taiwan (61,000 NT, down 28%) and Spain (56,000 NT, up 47%).

For the first eight months of 2019, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (1,892,000 NT, down 10% vs. the same period in 2018), Japan (944,000 NT, down 3%), Germany (767,000 NT, down 12%), Taiwan (668,000 NT, down 10%) and Vietnam (543,000 NT, down 22%).  (AISI)

• [Editor:kangmingfei]