Steel Products Prices North America
May 11, 2021
U.S. Steel Exports Jump 17% in March, Near Three-Year High
Written by Brett Linton
U.S. steel exports jumped 17% in March to 790,000 tons, according to recently released U.S. Department of Commerce trade data, now at the highest monthy level seen since June 2018. Of our six monitored product groups, the greatest month-over-month increase in exports went to plate cut lengths, up 37%, followed by a 35% increase in other metallic coated products. Total March 2021 exports are 13% higher than March 2020 levels.
Recall that 2020 saw quite a swing in monthly export levels; the year started strong, nearing 700,000 tons through March. Then the COVID downturn choked exports in April and May, with May levels reaching the lowest seen in SMU’s 24-year data history at 374,000 tons. Monthly export levels recovered each month afterward through October, reaching a 2.5-year high of 730,000 tons, but slowed again through the remaining months of the year.
