Steel Products Prices North America

Preliminary April Steel Imports at 2.8 Million Tons

Written by Brett Linton

May 28, 2020

Recently updated license data shows preliminary April steel imports were 2.77 million net tons, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. This is a downward adjustment of 200,000 tons compared to the license data reported last week.

Finished imports in April are at 1.32 million tons, down 13 percent over the previous month. Nearly 230,000 tons of semifinished products were imported in March (mostly slabs), compared to 1.45 million in April due to the restart of the quarterly quotas. 

May import licenses rose to 2.0 million tons, with nearly 640,000 tons being semifinished and 1.37 million tons being finished products.

Note: The January, April, July, and October import figures are unusually high as a result of buyers seeking to max out quarterly quota limits on semifinished products. For the remainder of each quarter, final semifinished imports are significantly lower. Due to these month-to-month swings, SMU has ceased monthly import “trending” projections and now only shows unadjusted figures as reported by the Commerce Department.

The three graphics below show total steel imports through April preliminary census data. To provide the most clarity, we are only showing a limited time line in each graphic. To see a greater data history and utilize our interactive graphing features, you can visit our website. Contact us at info@SteelMarketUpdate.com if you have any questions.

Brett Linton

Brett Linton is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.

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