Association News

The U.S. has temporarily suspended 232 tariffs on Ukrainian steel for the next year, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced. The move was made in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Shipments of steel and aluminum experienced nearly double-digit declines in April, the Metals Service Center Institute reported in its latest Business Conditions Report.

The Copper & Brass Servicenter Association is changing its name to the Copper and Brass Supply Chain Association. This change was announced at the recent Annual CBSA Convention that took place April 12-14, and the name change is expected to be official within the next few weeks.

World crude steel production declined 5.8 percent in March compared with the same month last year, the World Steel Association reported. Global production in March totaled 161 million tons.

OKAYA U.S.A. has joined the North American Steel Alliance as the newest metals supplier. The company has a supply network encompassing 22 countries and will help NASA membership expand its aluminum and stainless flat-roll offerings.

The U.S. imported 3.1 million tons of steel in March, including 2.5 million tons of finished steel, the American Iron and Steel Institute reported. Total imports were up 31.6 percent and finished steel imports increased 31.6 percent compared with the prior month.

The White House issued guidance to federal agencies on the application of Buy America preferences in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The guidance requires all agencies to ensure by May 14 that all iron and steel used in the project must be produced in the United States.

March shipment levels from service centers reached their highest level in 12 months, the Metals Service Center Institute reported in its latest Metals Activity Report. However, all but U.S. shipments of aluminum were down from March 2021.

The World Steel Association forecasts steel demand will grow by 0.4 percent in 2022 and another 2.2 percent in 2023. In 2023, total global steel demand will reach 1.88 billion metric tons, the Brussels-based organization projects in its latest Short Range Outlook.

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in March, the Institute for Supply Management reported in its latest survey of purchasing managers. The PMA for the month was 57.1, a decrease of 1.5 percentage points from February. The reading was the lowest since Sept. 20.