U.S. Steel Merchant Final Imports: Merchant final imports to the U.S. came in at 31,845 tons in March 2020, up 16.6% month over month (MoM).

Figure 1 further breaks down total final beam imports from January 2019 – March 2020. When comparing year to date figures, it shows that beam imports peaked in January 2020 with 35,865 tons of imports reported.

Figure 2 charts the largest exporting countries in rank order through March 2020.  Mexico and Canada combined account for 88% of the total in March 2020. Mexico was the largest exporter with 17,984 tons. Canadian imports came in at 9,963 tons in March 2020.

Figure 3 charts the largest imports by district entry to the U.S. in rank order through March 2020. Laredo, TX port was the largest receiver of merchants in March 2020, receiving 12,185 tons of the total 31,845 (38%). Detroit, MI port was the second-largest receiver coming in at 5,465 tons and the El Paso, TX port was the third-largest receiver coming in at 4,233 tons. Together, these top three receiving ports collected 69% of all U.S. merchant imports.

At Gerdau we closely follow trade in long products steel since it has a profound impact on domestic market share and material pricing. We want you, our valued customers to have access to current information that can help you better plan and operate your businesses.