Data from the Commerce Department is showing that for the first six months of 2014, total US imports hit 20.9 million net tons, which is a 33 percent increase from the first half of 2013. Finished steel imports totalled 15.6 million net tons, which is up 26 percent from the pervious time period.
Steel import permit applications for June totalled 3.4 million net tons, which is a 14 percent decrease from May preliminary imports. The import permit tonnage for finished steel in June totalled 2.8 million tons, down six percent from May imports.
Products with significant year-to-date increases in imports included wire rods, up 103 percent; plates in coils, up 67 percent; cold-rolled sheets, up 66 percent; sheets and strip hot-dipped galvanized, up 50 percent; sheets and strip all other metallic coatings, up 49 percent; hot-rolled sheets, up 43 percent; cut lengths plates, up 37 percent; mechanical tubing, up 35 percent; oil country goods, up 30 percent; heavy structural shapes, up 25 percent; structural pipe and tubing, up 21 percent; and reinforcing bar, up 16 percent.