Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the U.S. imported a total of 2,186,000 net tons (NT) of steel in December 2022, including 1,848,000 NT of finished steel (up 8.6 percent and 4.8 percent, respectively, vs. November 2022). Full year 2022 total and finished steel imports were 30,832,000 and 25,249,000 NT, down 2.0 percent and up 10.9 percent, respectively, vs. 2021.
Finished steel import market share was an estimated 23 percent in December and is estimated at 24 percent for full year 2022.
Key steel products with a significant import increase in December compared to November are line pipe (up 73 percent), ingots and billets and slabs (up 36 percent), sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 30 percent), oil country goods (up 27 percent) and sheet and strip hot dipped galvanized (up 26 percent). Products with a significant increase in imports for the full year of 2022 vs. 2021 include line pipe (up 47 percent), oil country goods (up 44 percent), standard pipe (up 44 percent), heavy structural shapes (up 36 percent) and wire rods (up 30 percent).
In December, the largest suppliers were Canada (522,000 NT, down 1 percent vs. November), Mexico (415,000 NT, up 66 percent), South Korea (232,000 NT, up 66 percent), Japan (119,000 NT, up 14 percent) and Germany (77,000 NT, down 36 percent).
Published in the March 2023 Edition
