US steel imports rose 8.6 percent in March

According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the United States imported a total of 3.588 million tonnes of steel in March 2015, including 3.159 million finished steel, up 3.3 and 8.6 percent, respectively. compared to February.

Since the beginning of the year, a total of 11.693 million tons of steel were imported, which is 20 percent higher compared to the same period in 2014, while imports of finished rolled products amounted to 9.64 million tons, which is 35 percent higher on an annual level. The market share of imports of steel products is estimated at 34 percent in March.

The main products of finished rolled products, the imports of which showed a significant increase in March compared to the previous month, are coated sheets and strips (up 74 percent), rebar (up to 65 percent), sheet metal (up to 38 percent), wire (up to 37 percent). pipes (up to 34 percent), hot-rolled strips (up to 25 percent), galvanized sheets and strips (up to 21 percent) and standard pipes (up to 13 percent), cold-rolled sheets (up to 43 percent).

In March, the largest volume of imports of finished steel products came from South Korea 561 thousand tons, which is 17 percent higher compared to February; from Turkey 392 thousand tons, an increase of 36 percent; from China 272 thousand tons, an increase of 3 percent; from Japan 179 thousand tons, an increase of 16 percent; and from Taiwan 168 thousand tons, an increase of 61 percent. In addition to the named countries, since the beginning of the year, Germany has also increased supplies by 52 percent to 422 thousand tons; South Korea by 61 percent to 1,879 thousand tons; Turkey by 109 percent to 980 thousand tons; China by 30 percent to 735 thousand tons; Japan 27 percent to 633 thousand tons.