U.S. Steel Imports Declined in December 2003
The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced that December 2003 steel imports declined 11 percent from November 2003 levels and were down 41 percent compared to December 2002.
The decrease from November to December 2003 was due primarily to a decrease in imports of blooms, billets, and slabs. December 2003 imports of finished steel products decreased 6 percent compared to November 2003, while imports of semi-finished steel fell 25 percent.
Overall, imports of steel mill products during all of 2003 were down 29 percent compared to the same period in 2002. Total 2003 imports of finished steel were down 23 percent compared to 2002, while imports of semi-finished steel were down 46 percent.
December 2003 imports of standard pipe decreased 23 percent compared to November 2003. December 2003 imports of standard pipe were down 12 percent compared to December 2002, and January to December 2003 imports of standard pipe were down 10 percent compared to the same period in 2002.
December 2003 imports of hot-rolled steel increased 35 percent from their November 2003 levels and were down 65 percent compared to December 2002 levels. January to December 2003 imports of hot-rolled steel were down 40 percent compared to the same period in 2002.
December 2003 imports of cold-rolled steel decreased 2 percent compared to November 2003 levels and were down 44 percent compared to December 2002 levels. January to December 2003 imports of cold-rolled steel were down 29 percent compared to the same period in 2002.
|posted by Douglas N. Jacobson| Permalink 
