• Skip to main content

    Prices

    Final July Imports at 2.7 Million Tons, August Licenses Lower

    Written by Brett Linton


    Final Census data shows that 2.68 million net tons of steel imports entered the country in July, down 6% compared to the month prior and the lowest rate in the past five months.

    The preliminary import figures reported last week were just 4,000 tons shy of the final count (most of the flat rolled products tracked by SMU were unchanged or adjusted a few hundred tons). July imports are down 13% compared to March’s 26-month high of 3.09 million tons.

    Brett Linton

    Read more from Brett Linton

    Latest in Prices

    Plate supply squeeze tightens as demand presses higher

    The domestic plate market is showing few signs of relief for steel buyers. Lead times are stretching well beyond seasonal norms, spot availability has all but evaporated, and mills are drawing hard lines on contract volumes heading into 2027 negotiations. And the supply squeeze will likely intensify in a market that some industry sources say is structurally undersupplied because of stringent US trade and tariff policies. Imports have been arriving in larger volumes, and the expectation is they will continue to tick higher into 2027. The big question is whether those foreign tons will arrive in volumes sufficient to provide the relief steel consumers want.