Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the U.S. imported a total of 3,120,000 net tons (NT) of steel in November 2021, including 2,583,000 net tons (NT) of finished steel (up 13.9 percent and 9.6 percent, respectively, vs. October final data).
Through the first 11 months of 2021, total and finished steel imports are 29,681,000 and 21,626,000 net tons (NT), up 44.6 percent and 46.1 percent, respectively, vs. the same period in 2020. Annualized total and finished steel imports in 2021 would be 32.4 and 23.6 million NT, up 47.1 percent and 46.2 percent, respectively, vs. 2020. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 27 percent in November and is estimated at 22 percent over the first 11 months of 2021.
Key finished steel products with a significant increase in imports in November compared to October are heavy structural shapes (up 64 percent), sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 33 percent), cold rolled sheets (up 32 percent), hot rolled bars (up 29 percent), oil country goods (up 28 percent), sheets and strip galvanized hot dipped (up 27 percent) and tin plate (up 10 percent).
Products with a significant year-to-date (YTD) increase vs. the same period in 2020 were hot rolled sheets (up 137 percent), plates in coils (up 109 percent), sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 66 percent), oil country goods (up 62 percent), cut lengths plates (up 60 percent), wire rods (up 60 percent), cold rolled sheets (up 41 percent), heavy structural shapes (up 31 percent), hot rolled bars (up 30 percent), sheets and strip hot dipped galvanized (up 29 percent), wire drawn (up 23 percent), reinforcing bars (up 23 percent), mechanical tubing (up 20 percent) and tin plate (up 13 percent).
