Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the U.S. imported a total of 2,082,000 net tons (NT) of steel in December 2023, including 1,614,000 NT of finished steel (up 2.6 percent and 7.7 percent, respectively, vs. November 2023). Full year 2023 total and finished steel imports were 28,156,000 and 21,694,000 NT, down 8.7 percent and 14.1 percent, respectively, vs 2022. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 20 percent in December and is estimated at 21 percent for full year 2023.
Key steel products with a significant import increase in December compared to November are oil country goods (up 52 percent), hot rolled sheets (up 38 percent), plates in coils (up 28 percent), line pipe (up 27 percent) and cut lengths plates (up 21 percent).
Products with a significant increase in imports for the full year of 2023 vs. 2022 include cut lengths plates (up 20 percent) and ingots, billets and slabs (up 16 percent).
In December, the largest suppliers were Canada (539,000 NT, up 1 percent vs. November), Brazil (335,000 NT, down 12 percent), Mexico (291,000 NT, up 18 percent), South Korea (269,000 NT, up 91 percent) and Germany (106,000 NT, up 103 percent). For full year 2023, the largest suppliers were Canada (6,885,000 NT, unchanged vs. 2022), Mexico (4,184,000 NT, down 21 percent), Brazil (3,942,000 NT, up 54 percent), South Korea (2,637,000 NT, down 6 percent) and Japan (1,189,000 NT, down 6 percent).
