Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Wednesday that the US imported a total of 3,172,000 net tons (nt) of steel in January 2014, including 2,409,000 nt of finished steel (up 26.6 percent and 27.5 percent, respectively, vs. December final data). Year-to-date (YTD) total and finished steel imports are 3,172,000 nt and 2,409,000 nt, respectively, up 21 percent and 12 percent respectively, vs. 2013. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 26 percent in January.

Key finished steel products with a significant import increase in January compared to December 2013 are reinforcing bars (up 168 percent), wire rods (up 145 percent), sheet and strip all other metallic coatings (up 115 percent), oil country goods (up 58 percent), plates in coils (up 39 percent), sheets and strip galvanized hot dipped (up 38 percent), cold rolled sheets (up 23 percent) and hot rolled sheets (up 11 percent).

In January, the largest volumes of finished steel imports were from South Korea (429,000 nt, up 43 percent vs. December final), Turkey (200,000 nt, up 341 percent), China (191,000 nt, up 33 percent), Japan (159,000 nt, up 6 percent) and Taiwan (102,000 nt, up 127 percent).