Total steel imports into the US moved up 14.8pc to 2.9mn nt (2.6mn mt) in June 2021 compared to the prior month’s final data while finished steel imports rose 8.7pc to 2.02mn nt in the same period according to Census Bureau data.
In January-June 2021, total steel imports increased 18.5pc to 14.69mn nt as finished steel imports moved up 15.6pc to 10mn nt compared to the same time frame in 2020.
The most sought after finished steel imports in June compared with the previous month include hot rolled sheets, up 48pc, heavy structural shapes increased 38pc, oil country goods climbed 35pc, line pipe was up 30pc, wire rods were up 21pc, cold-rolled sheets were up 19pc, cut lengths plates were up 17pc, plates in coils were up 13pc, reinforcing bars were up 12pc and hot-rolled bars were up 11pc.
In the first six months, hot rolled sheets showed a considerable increase, rising 63pc, plates in coils were up 41pc, cut lengths plates were rose 35pc, sheets and strip all other metallic coatings were up 31pc, wire rods moved up 26pc, wire-drawn grew 22pc, tin plate increased 18pc, hot-rolled bars inched up 13pc and sheets and strip galvanized hot-dipped climbed 12pc against the same period in 2020.
In June, South Korea supplied the largest volume of finished steel imports, increasing 45pc to 274,000nt compared with May’s final numbers. Next came Japan up by 22pc to 117,000nt, Turkey rose 46pc to 98,000nt, Germany fell 2pc to 95,000nt and Taiwan ticked up 1pc to 84,000nt.
South Korea remains the largest offshore steel provider for the first six months of 2021 with shipments from this location totaling 1.33mn nt, up 18pc followed by Japan climbing 20pc to 521,000nt, Turkey soaring 33pc to 429,000nt, Germany moving up 9pc to 410,000nt and Taiwan up 7pc to 357,000nt, all compared to January-June 2020.