Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the U.S. imported a total of 2,440,000 tons of steel in September, including 1,886,000 tons of finished steel (down 9% and 8%, respectively, from August final data). Year-to-date (YTD) finished steel imports, however, are up 18% vs. the same period in 2011. Annualized total and finished steel imports in 2012 would be 34.0 and 26.3 million tons, up 19% and 21%, each, respectively vs. 2011. Finished steel import market share in September was an estimated 22% and is estimated at 24% YTD.

Key finished steel products with a significant import increase in September 2012 compared to August are standard rails (up 256%), sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 63%), standard pipe (up 16%) and wire rods (up 12%).

Major products with significant YTD import increases vs. the same period last year include reinforcing bar (up 48%), line pipe (up 40%), sheets & strip galvanized hot dipped (up 33%), plates – cut lengths (up 32%) and oil country goods (up 31%).

In September, the largest volumes of finished steel imports from offshore were all from Asia and Europe. They were South Korea (295,000 tons, up 18%), Japan (161,000 tons, up 3%), Germany (101,000 tons, up 8%), China (92,000 tons, down 44%) and Taiwan (81,000 tons, up 100%). For the first 9 months of 2012, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (2,783,000 tons, up 25%), Japan (1,515,000 tons, up 36%), China (1,182,000 tons, up 25%), Turkey (1,112,000 tons, up 96%) and Germany (920,000 tons, up 28%).