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    January 30, 2020

    Steel Import Trends in December and January

    Written by Brett Linton

    Finished steel imports continued to trend downwards into January, slipping over 200,000 tons from our last update and resting at 1.34 million tons. This is in line with the final November and preliminary December data, but down considerably compared to the 3-month and 12-month moving averages.

    Based on the latest Commerce Department import license data, total steel imports in December are expected to be in the 1.55 million ton range when the numbers are final, quite a fall from the 2.34 million tons the DOC reported just last week. This difference is likely due to imports reaching their annual quota limits in December.

    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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