Import Market Share for Sheet, Plate, Longs, Tubulars Through November

This report examines the import share of sheet, plate, long and tubular products. As of November 2020, imports’ share of total sheet products was 11.4 percent, down from 11.8 percent in October. Imports’ share has been on a steady decline since its most recent peak of 16.6 percent this past May. The import share of HRC has been below 10 percent since January 2019, edging down again in November 2020 to 7.1 percent, compared to 7.7 percent in October.

Other metallic coated sheet has seen the most drastic change over the past five years. Since 2015 when its import share was 51.3 percent, it had fallen to just 14.8 percent this past October, but rose to 18.3 percent in November 2020. This notable and drastic change is a result of a simultaneous decrease in imports and an increase in domestic shipments since 2014.

David Schollaert

David Schollaert is deputy editor-in-chief for Steel Market Update. David joined SMU after more than a decade in the metals and mining industry in a myriad of different roles. Much of his early experience and expertise were within the coverage and analysis of steel-making raw materials and served previously as senior editor of the CRU Prices Service. Most recently, however, before his return to market analysis, David held roles as a metals buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers. He can be contacted at david@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1008.