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    Steel Exports Rebound in August, Over 800,000 Tons Again

    Written by Brett Linton


    US steel exports rebounded 8% from July to August, according to the latest US Commerce Department data. Just over 800,000 net tons entered the country during the month, now the third-highest monthly export rate seen in the last four years (behind March and April 2022). Exports on a rolling annual basis are now at a three and a a half year high. Total August exports were 5% higher than levels seen one year ago.

    As shown in the graph below, monthly exports have remained relatively high compared to recent years. For comparison, the highest monthly figure seen in the past four years was in March 2022 at 843,000 tons. The highest level recorded in Figure 1 was 1.05 million tons in May 2017, and the highest monthly rate in our history was January 2012 at 1.32 million tons. Recall that in 2020, total steel exports had fallen to a 24-year low of 374,000 tons in May.

    Brett Linton

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