The U.S. steel import volume has fallen month-on-month for five consecutive months

According to data released by the US Department of Commerce, imports of US steel in October 2011 were 1.988 million tons, which was a year-on-year increase of 16.1% and a decrease of 3.2% from the previous month, which was the fifth month in a row. In the January-October period, the United States imported 21.94 million tons of steel, a year-on-year increase of 19.3%.

In terms of sub-categories, import volume of semi-finished products, rebar, galvanized sheet and medium plate fell in October, and the import of wire rods, hot coils and cold coils increased significantly. Compared with the same period of last year, with the exception of wire rods, rebar, cold-rolled and galvanized steel, all other steel imports have increased significantly, and hot-rolled coils and plates have seen larger increases.

From the perspective of the source countries and regions of imports, the imports from the EU, Turkey, Ukraine, and Central and South America increased significantly in October, while the imports from Asia and Russia decreased significantly. Compared with the same period of last year, with the exception of the EU, Russia, and North America, imports from other countries and regions have increased, with imports from Central and South America increasing by 260% year-on-year. In October, the United States imported 95,000 tons of steel from China, which was a year-on-year increase of 85% and a decrease of 3.9% from the previous month.

The latest import permit shows that as of November 23, the number of US steel import licenses in November was 1.51 million tons, which is lower than the value of the same period in October. It is expected that the US steel import volume will continue to decline in November.