United States Department of COMMERCE NEWS  
Washington, D.C. 20230

ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS ADMINISTRATION

Bureau of the Census
This release contains sensitive economic data not to be 
released before 10:00 a.m. Thursday, December 21, 2000

  CB-00-214     Press Copy 
  FT-900A (00-11)

For information contact:
Haydn Mearkle    (301) 457-2246
Nick Orsini      (301) 457-2311 

     Preliminary: U.S. Imports for Consumption of Steel Products:  
                             November 2000

     The Bureau of the Census, through the Department of Commerce, announced 
today that preliminary November steel imports were $1.0 billion (2.0 million 
metric tons).  This was a decrease of $0.2 billion (0.6 million metric tons) 
from the preliminary October totals of $1.1 billion (2.5 million metric 
tons).

     The October to November change in steel imports, based on metric 
tonnage, reflected decreases primarily in blooms, billets, and slabs and 
hot rolled sheets.  Monthly changes in steel imports reflected decreases 
primarily with Mexico, Korea, and Japan.

	The year to date final statistics through October 2000 showed steel 
imports of 30.2 million metric tons, an increase of 3.3 million metric tons 
from 26.9 million metric tons through October of 1999.  The largest 
commodity increases were in hot rolled sheets; oil country goods; and 
blooms, billets, and slabs.  The largest country increases were with 
Ukraine, China, and India.

Notes:

     The data in this report are preliminary and subject to revisions.
Analysis of recent months for steel product imports indicates the value 
of preliminary data should equal about 96 percent of the final value 
reported in the regular monthly trade statistics report.  Preliminary 
data reported for individual steel categories and at the individual country 
of origin level have been less consistently predictive of the final data 
reported in the regular monthly trade statistics. For further details 
visit the Foreign Trade Division web site at: 
www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/.  On the web site you can access 
product by country and country by product tables.

The next release is January 25, 2001                                   


Source:  U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division.  Preliminary:
U.S. Imports for Consumption of Steel Products November 2000 (CB-00-214).
Release December 21, 2000.  For more information contact Nick Orisni at
(301) 457-2311.