[All tonnages mentioned in this report are net tons]
Figures released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) for June 2019 show that the USA imported a total of 2.03Mt of steel, including 1.71Mt of finished steel (down 2.5% and 8.3% respectively versus final data for May).
For the first six months of 2019, total and finished steel imports were 15.6Mt and 11.6Mt, down 12.7% and 16.7% respectively when compared with the same period in 2018.
The annualised total and finished steel imports in 2019 is estimated to be 31.2Mt and 23.4Mt, down 7.4% and 9.1% respectively versus 2018. The finished steel import market share was an estimated 20% in June and is estimated at 21% over the first six months of 2019.
In terms of key finished steel products with a significant import increase in June compared to May were tin plate (up 70%), mechanical tubing (up 14%) and wire rods (up 12%).
Imports of finished steel from South Korea of 163kt were down 44% when compared with May figures while imports from Japan were down 9%. Germany exported 100kt of finished steel to the USA in June, up 56% and the Taiwanese sent over 86kt, up 7%. Figures from Vietnam were down 3%. Looking at the same countries and there exports of finished steel to the USA over the first six months of 2019 and the story is as follows: South Korea was top of the pile having exported 1.45Mt, but that figure was down 17% compared with the same period last year. Japan's figure of 723kt was down 2% and Germany's 617kt was down 7%. Taiwan and Vietnam were down 7% and 16% with 522kt and 427kt respectively.
The top three imported products were oil country tubular goods, sheets and strip galvanised/hot dip and cold-rolled sheets.
