Steel Products Prices North America

Steel Imports Trending Down in December

Written by Brett Linton

December 11, 2018

U.S. steel imports continue to trend down in December, according to import license data from the Department of Commerce. Imports are on track to total around 2.3 million tons this month, well below the preliminary total of 2.6 million tons in November and far below the nearly 3.3 million tons in October.

Domestic steelmakers have purchased little semi-finished steel (slabs) this month after buying heavily in October. Steel Market Update estimates the volume of semi-finished this month at just 184,000 tons, down from 571,000 tons last month and 1.26 million tons in October.

Imports of finished steel products are on pace to top 2.1 million tons, a slight increase over the prior two months and about equal to the 12-month average. By product, galvanized and hot rolled imports are showing the biggest increases this month.

The December trend is based on import license data through Tuesday, Dec. 11. Steel Market Update calculates the trending total by taking the daily rate of import licenses and multiplying it for the full month.


To see an interactive history of total steel imports (through October final data), visit our website here. If you need assistance logging into or navigating the website, please contact info@SteelMarketUpdate.com.

Brett Linton

Brett Linton is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.

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