Steel Exports Dip in June,
But Up 58% for the Year
U.S. steel exports declined by 0.7 percent in June, compared to May, primarily due to a decline in exports to the United States’ NAFTA partners, reports the American Institute for International Steel, McLean, Va., which represents foreign producers.
“NAFTA market demand in June had begun to slow, and this decline is reflected in both export shipments and U.S. domestic market shipment data,” says David Phelps, president of AIIS.
“The good news in the June export data is the continued strength of exports to non-NAFTA Western Hemisphere markets, which grew by over 9 percent month on month and continued to run 78 percent higher for the first half of 2010,” Phelps adds.
Steel exports in June totaled 1.048 million tons, a slight decrease from May’s 1.055 million tons, but a 48.4 percent increase compared to June 2009.
According to year-to-date figures, exports were up 58.1 percent compared to the first six months of 2009, or from 3.9 million tons in 2009 to 6.2 million tons in 2010.