Based on reported import licenses, US flat products imports fell 38% from 749,000 short tons in April 2019 to 466,000 tons in April this year. Of all flat products categories, hot dip galvanized shows the largest import volume decline at 45%, with lower volumes from Canada, Austria, Vietnam, and South Africa. Compared to last April, hot roll imports are down 30%, cold roll down 33% and cut plate down 57%.
Based on January, February and March imports and April import licenses, flat products imports so far this year were 20% lower than in the same period last year with the largest import volume declines coming from hot roll (-18%) and cold roll (-24%).
SIMA US flat products import licenses
January 2014 to April 2020
Short tons
Steel coil car at Rochelle Railroad Park, IL, 2005, from Wikimedia Commons. The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia. / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)
Worldsteel reported crude steel production in China at 79.0 million metric tonnes in March, 1.7% lower than in March 2019. Chinese production in the first three months of 2020 was 1.4% higher than in the same period last year.
Data from the General Administration of Customs show Chinese net finished steel exports (exports minus imports) in March were 5.3 million tonnes, 1.6% lower than in March 2019. Net exports in the first three months of 2020 were 21.4% lower than in the same period last year.
China monthly crude steel production
Thousand metric tonnes
Duge Bridge looking east (on the border between Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, China) from Wikimedia Commons by ShakyIsles / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
Worldsteel published March world crude steel production yesterday. World steel output was 147.1 million metric tonnes, 6.0% lower than in March 2019. Crude steel production in the first three months of 2020 was 1.3% lower than in the same period last year.
China accounted for 54% of world output in March with production of 79.0 million tonnes, 1.7% lower than in March 2019. Asian output outside of China fell 10.5% on lower production in India (-13.9%), Japan (-9.7%), South Korea (-7.9%) and Taiwan (-22.2%).
European Union crude steel production dropped 20.4% with the largest volume declines coming from Italy (-40.2%) and Germany (-20.9%). In North America, US output fell 6.0%, Mexican production was down 20.6%, and Canada showed a 15.3% decline.
Hot slab in the reheating furnace in the plate mill at POSCO Pohang Steelworks, South Korea from Worldsteel Image Library by worldsteel / Seong Joon Cho
Based on reported import licenses, US long products imports fell 19% from 268,000 short tons in March 2019 to 216,000 tons in March this year. The decline was mainly due to lower parallel flange sections imports from Luxembourg and South Korea, though wire rod and rebar imports also fell significantly.
Based on January and February imports and March import licenses, long products imports so far this year were 18% lower than in the same period last year with the largest import volume declines from wire rod and rebar.
SIMA US long products import licenses
January 2014 to March 2020
Short tons
Sheet pile image from Wikimedia Commons by Sbhrus / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)
Based on reported import licenses, US flat products imports fell 7% from 606,000 short tons in March 2019 to 565,000 tons in March this year. The decline was mainly due to lower hot roll imports from Germany in the form of plates in coils, as well as lower cold roll imports from Vietnam, Taiwan, Russia, and the UK.
Based on January and February imports and March import licenses, flat products imports so far this year were 13% lower than in the same period last year with the largest import volume declines coming from hot roll and cold roll.
SIMA US flat products imports licenses
January 2014 to March 2020
Short tons
Coils in transit from Wikimedia Commons by Peatala36 / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Innofreight_Coil_Palette_1.jpg
Worldsteel reported crude steel production in China at 74.8 million metric tonnes in February, 5.0% higher than in February 2019. Chinese production in the first two months of 2020 was 3.1% higher than in the same period last year.
China monthly crude steel production
Thousand metric tonnes
“Haikou Tower on November 24, 2017, Haikou, Hainan, China ” from Wikimedia Commons by Anna Frodesiak / CC0
