Steel Products Prices North America
March 26, 2020
Preliminary Data Suggests February Imports at 10-Year Low
Written by Brett Linton
Preliminary steel import license data for February, released this week, slipped to the 1.5 million net ton range for total steel imports, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Steel Market Update’s last import update just one week ago had February imports at 1.9 million tons. This is the lowest monthly import level seen since December 2009 when final imports were at 1.4 million tons. Final February data usually varies only slightly from these preliminary figures, but the early effects of the coronavirus on the economy make this data unpredictable.
Other notable lows in February: OCTG imports have not been this low since September 2016, and cold rolled imports have not been this low since July 2013.
