Steel Products Prices North America

U.S. Steel Imports on the Upswing through January
Written by Brett Linton
February 11, 2021
U.S. steel imports are on the upswing. December steel import figures were finalized at 1.50 million net tons, up 9% from one month prior and up 18% over September’s 11-year low of 1.26 million tons. January import licenses are up 47% from the month prior to 2.20 million tons, the highest monthly level seen since July 2020.
The average monthly import level for 2020 is now finalized at 1.84 million tons, down 21% from the 2019 monthly average of 2.32 million tons, and down 35% from the 2018 monthly average of 2.81 million tons.
Due to SMU member comments, we have expanded the import table below to include other high-volume products in addition to our normal focus on flat rolled products. We now show a brief history on products such as rebar, tin plate, wire rod, structural pipe and tube, and other long products. We also provide data on categorized imports, divided into semi-finished, finished, flat rolled, longs, pipe and tube, and stainless products. We welcome your comments.
Due to large month-to-month swings in semifinished imports, the chart below shows total monthly imports on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis in an attempt to more accurately display the U.S. steel import trend. The 3MMA through final-December data is now 1.46 million tons, up from 1.38 million tons in November.
Total finished imports in December are up 15% from the prior month at 1.43 million tons. Imports of semifinished products (mostly slabs) are at 677,000 tons, up from 135,000 tons in November.
The two charts below show monthly imports grouped by product category: flat rolled imports and pipe and tube imports.
By Brett Linton, Brett@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Products Prices North America

CRU: Q3 will be the lowest point in current sheet price cycle
CRU Principal Analyst Shankhadeep Mukherjee expects a restocking cycle for steel sheet products in most parts of the world due to either low inventories or seasonally stronger demand.

CRU: US rebar and wire rod prices rise alongside S232 increase
CRU Senior Steel Analyst Alexandra Anderson discusses current market and pricing dynamics for long steel products in the US.

SMU Price Ranges: Sheet and plate steady ahead of Independence Day
Sheet and plate prices were little changed in the shortened week ahead of Independence Day, according to SMU’s latest check of the market.

Nucor maintains plate prices, opens August order book
Nucor aims to keep plate prices flat again with the opening of its August order book.

Nucor CSP remains level at $900/ton
Nucor maintained its weekly list price for hot-rolled (HR) coil this week, following two consecutive increases.