Prices
April 12, 2021
U.S. Steel Exports Flat in February
Written by Brett Linton
After recovering 9% in January, U.S. steel exports rose 1% in February to 677,000 tons, according to recent U.S. Department of Commerce data. Of our six monitored product groups, the greatest month-over-month increase in exports went to cold rolled products, followed by hot rolled steel, while plate and other metallic coated exports declined. Total February 2021 exports were within 1,300 tons of February 2020 levels.
Recall that 2020 saw quite a swing in monthly export levels; the year started strong, nearing 700,000 tons in February through March. Then the COVID downturn choked exports in April and May, with May levels reaching the lowest seen in SMU’s 24-year data history at 374,000 tons. Monthly export levels recovered each month afterward through October, reaching a 2.5-year high of 730,000 tons, but slowed again through the remaining months of the year.
