US Steel Imports Down 8 Percent In August 2014

According to the American Institute of Iron and Steel (AISI), steel imports in August this year amounted to 3,554,000 tons, down 8 percent from the previous month, when steel imports totaled 3,856,000 tons.

At the same time, imports of finished steel products had a colossal increase in August compared to July: reinforcing bars (up to 240 percent), wire rod (up to percent), standard rails (up to 31 percent) and line pipes (up to 11 percent).

The tonnage of finished products in August amounted to 2,681,000, which is 12 less compared to imports in July. In the first 8 months of 2014, total imports and imports of finished steel were 28,494,000 tons and 21,316,000 tons, respectively, up 35 and 29 percent over the same period in 2013. In August, the market share of finished steel imports was 26 percent.


Over the past 8 months of 2014, there was a significant increase in imports compared to the same period last year for such products: plates in coils (up to 81 percent), wire rod (up to 80 percent), cold-rolled sheets (up to 72 percent), plates (up to 56 percent) , galvanized sheets and strips (up to 54 percent), sheets and strips with metal coating (up to 52 percent).

The countries that top the list of the largest exporters of finished products in August 2014 were: South Korea (438,000 tons, a 22 percent decrease from July), China (245,000 tons, a 9 percent decrease), Turkey (219,000 tons, an increase to 66 percent), Japan (209,000 tons, up 5 percent) and Taiwan (128,000 tons, up 21 percent).