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The American Iron and Steel Institute, Washington, reported that the U.S. imported 3 million tons of steel, including 2.2 million tons of finished steel, in February, according to Census Bureau data. Overall, steel imports for the month were up 19.4 percent and finished steel imports increased 17.5 percent from June.

Steel imports through July totaled 20.9 million tons and finished steel imports totaled 16.2 million tons, down 10.1 percent and 10 percent, respectively, from the same period in 2017. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 23 percent in July and is estimated at 25 percent year to date. 

Key finished steel products with significant import increases in July were reinforcing bars, up 214 percent; heavy structural shapes, up 123 percent; tin plate, up 55 percent; hot-rolled sheets, up 44 percent; cut lengths plates, up 31 percent; plates in coils, up 24 percent; sheets and strip all other metallic coatings, up 23 percent; line pipe, up 17 percent; cold-rolled sheets, up 12 percent; and mechanical tubing, up 11 percent. Major products with significant year-to-date increases are plates in coils, up 20 percent, and hot-rolled sheets, up 19 percent.

The largest volumes of finished steel imports from offshore in July were from South Korea at 189,000 tons, down 10 percent from June; Japan at 132,000 tons, up 3 percent; Vietnam at 118,000 tons, down 4 percent; Italy at 107,000 tons, up 225 percent; and Taiwan at 99,000 tons, up 7 percent.

Through the first seven months of 2018, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea at 1.9 million tons, down 15 percent year over year; Japan at 873,000 tons, down 7 percent; Germany at 758,000 tons, up 1 percent; Turkey at 721,000 tons, down 58 percent; and Taiwan at 659,000 tons, down 16 percent.