Steel Products Prices North America

License Data Shows Steel Imports Up in October

Written by Brett Linton

November 5, 2019

October saw a small increase in finished steel imports, but a big increase in semifinished imports, based on Commerce Department license data for the full month.

Finished steel imports saw a 14 percent decline from August to September in a comparison of the final Census Bureau data for the two months, followed by a small, 3 percent rebound in October based on Commerce license data. While finished steel imports remained considerably below average last month, imports of semifinished steel approached a million tons as domestic steelmakers moved to secure slabs in the first month of Q4 ahead of quarterly quota restrictions on imports from Brazil and other nations. Semifinished imports in November are likely to regress to levels similar to August as the mills will have ample supplies of slabs.

By product, October licenses showed a significant increase for galvanized imports and a significant decrease for hot rolled, cold rolled and OCTG imports versus the final figures for September. See the chart below for additional detail. 

 

Brett Linton

Brett Linton is a digital operations 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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