Prices
March 5, 2021
January Imports at 2.4 Million Tons, February Licenses at 2.0 Million
Written by Brett Linton
January U.S. steel imports surpassed 2.42 million tons, according to final Census data released last week, up 62% from December due to the quarterly surge in semifinished product imports. Focusing on finished steel imports only, January figures are down from December by 7%.
February import licenses are currently at 2.02 million tons through March 5 data, down 17% from January. Recall that the average monthly import level for 2020 was 1.84 million tons, down from 2.32 million tons in 2019 and 2.81 million tons in 2018. Finished steel imports were up to 1.52 million tons in February, up 20% over the month prior and potentially the highest level seen since early-2020.
