Steel Products Prices North America
April Steel Imports Rise to Nine-Month High
Written by Brett Linton
June 1, 2021
Preliminary Census data shows that total foreign steel imports rose 14% from March to April, up to 2.64 million tons, as U.S. buyers sought relief from climbing domestic prices and limited supplies. This is the highest total monthly import level seen since July 2020 when imports were 2.71 million tons.
Import licenses currently for May are at 2.52 million tons, down 4% from April, but up 9% over March. For comparison, 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.
Total finished steel imports were 1.68 million tons in April, down 7% from March’s 19-month high. Finished steel import licenses for May are currently at 1.80 million tons, a bounce back from April’s dip, and could potentially be the highest level since July 2019.
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 preliminary April import data is 2.28 million tons, up from 2.21 million tons in March and up from 1.94 million tons in January. The lowest 3MMA level in our recent history was October 2020 at 1.36 million tons. The April 3MMA is now the highest seen since September 2019.
The table below now includes 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 semifinished, finished, flat rolled, longs, pipe and tube, and stainless products.
The two charts below show monthly imports grouped by product category: flat rolled imports and pipe and tube imports. Both product groups declined in April, with flat rolled imports down 10% from the month prior and pipe and tube imports down 4%. Looking through May data, each product group has rebounded a bit; current license data suggests a 10% rise in flat rolled imports and a 2% increase in pipe and tube imports over April.
By Brett Linton, Brett@SteelMarketUpdate.com
Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Products Prices North America
Nucor slows HRC price climb with $5/ton increase
After eight weeks of double-digit price increases on hot-rolled (HR) coil, Nucor slowed the price rise this week with an increase of $5 per short ton.
Domestic CRC prices surge ahead of imports
The price spread between stateside-produced CR and imports reached its widest margin in over a year.
Evraz raises plate prices $160/ton
Evraz North America (NA) has followed Nucor and SSAB with a plate price increase of its own: up $160 per short ton (st). The increase was effective immediately for all new orders of carbon, high-strength low-alloy, and normalized and quenched-and-tempered plate products, as well as for hot-rolled coil, the steelmaker said in a letter to […]
Nucor lifts HR coil to $820/ton
Nucor has increased its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil for a fourth consecutive week.
Nucor pushes HR spot price to $790/ton
Nucor increased its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil to $790 per short ton (st) on Monday, Feb. 10 – a $15/st bump vs. last week. The Charlotte, N.C.-based company has raised its weekly CSP by $40/st over the past three weeks after maintaining tags at $750/st since Nov. 12, according to SMU’s […]