Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the U.S. imported a total of 2,369,000 net tons (NT) of steel in April 2023, including 1,933,000 NT of finished steel (down 9.4 percent and up 1.4 percent, respectively, vs. March 2023). Total and finished steel imports are down 11.9 percent and 14.5 percent, respectively, year-to-date vs. 2022. Over the 12-month period May 2022 to April 2023, total and finished steel imports are down 11.7 percent and 6.1 percent, respectively, vs. the prior 12-month period. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 23 percent in April and is estimated at 23 percent over the first four months of 2023.
Key steel products with a significant import increase in April compared to March are reinforcing bars (up 106 percent), heavy structural shapes (up 76 percent), wire drawn (up 13 percent) and wire rods (up 12 percent). Products with a significant increase in imports over the 12-month period May 2022 to April 2023 compared to the previous 12-month period include line pipe (up 42 percent), oil country goods (up 41 percent), standard pipe (up 25 percent) and heavy structural shapes (up 18 percent).
In April, the largest suppliers were Canada (594,000 NT, down 10 percent vs. March), Mexico (345,000 NT, down 21 percent), Brazil (213,000 NT, down 53 percent), South Korea (168,000 NT, down 10 percent) and Japan (130,000 NT, up 11 percent). Over the 12-month period May 2022 to April 2023, the largest suppliers were Canada (6,933,000 NT, no change compared to the previous 12-months), Mexico (4,970,000 NT, down 7 percent), Brazil (2,759,000 NT, down 25 percent), South Korea (2,588,000 NT, down 9 percent) and Japan (1,309,000 NT, up 12 percent).
