Based on reported import licenses, US long products imports changed little from 243,000 short tons in December 2022 to 242,000 tons in December 2023. This was mainly because lower rebar imports were offset by higher parallel flange sections imports.
Full-year 2023 long products imports fell 14% compared to full-year 2022 figures, driven mainly by lower wire rod imports from India, Mexico and Malaysia.
Based on reported import licenses, US flat products imports rose 14% from 649,000 short tons in December, 2022 to 740,000 tons in December, 2023. The increase was mainly due to higher hot rolled imports from South Korea, Brazil and Canada.
Full-year 2023 flat products imports fell 16% compared to full-year 2022 imports, however, driven by lower imports of hot rolled (-14%), hot dip galvanized (-20%), and cold rolled (-26%). In contrast, cut plate imports rose 22% between 2022 and 2023.
Episode 3 of The Green Steel Challenge podcast featuring Dave Stickler at Hybar has been released today. He discusses exactly how Hybar is building a new, advanced technology, low emissions rebar mill.
You’ll also be interested in hearing about their investments in solar power, hydrogen and battery storage. It’s a truly informative and entertaining discussion about how to produce “cost-efficient, environmentally sustainable steel”.
Worldsteel reported November crude steel production in China at 76.1 million metric tonnes, 0.4% higher than in November, 2022. Chinese production in the first eleven months of 2023 was 1.1% higher than in the first eleven months of 2022.
Data from China’s General Administration of Customs show China’s net finished steel exports (exports minus imports) rose 53% compared to November last year. Net finished steel exports in the first eleven months of 2023 were 45% higher than in the same period last year.
China produced 76.1 million tonnes in November, accounting for 52% of world output and rising 0.4% compared to November 2022. India produced 11.7 million tonnes, now accounting for 8% of world output and rising 11.4% on last November. World crude steel production outside China and India rose 5.8%, mainly due to increases in Russia (estimated +12.5%), Turkey (+25.4%) and South Korea (+11.9%)
Crude steel production in the first eleven months of 2023 was 0.2% higher than in the same period last year.
Hot steel plate being cut at Tata Steel Kalinganagar, India from Worldsteel Image Library
Based on reported import licenses, US long products imports rose 18% from 228,000 short tons in November, 2022 to 268,000 tons last month. According to import licenses, the largest increase came from rebar, where imports rose from Egypt, Algeria, Canada, Spain, and Portugal.
Long products imports in the first eleven months of 2023 were 15% lower than in the same period last year with wire rod showing the highest volume and percentage decline (-539,000 tons and -33%).
US long products import licenses
January 2016 to November 2023
Short tons
‘Street still-life of piles of reinforcement bars’, in concrete and iron struts at the metro construction Vijzelgracht in Amsterdam by Fons Heijnsbroek from Amsterdam, Netherlands, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
