U.S. Census Bureau News

U.S. Department of Commerce * Washington, DC 20230


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
10:00 A.M. EDT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

For information contact:
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Matthew Przybocki
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Maria Iseman
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Preliminary: U.S. Imports for Consumption of Steel Products
October 2012

     The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that preliminary October steel imports were $2.6 billion (2.3 million metric tons) compared to the preliminary September totals of $2.4 billion (2 .2 million metric tons). 
	
     The October change in steel imports based on metric tonnage reflected increases primarily in line pipes, sheets and strips, and heavy structural shapes; a large decrease occurred primarily in blooms, billets, and slabs.  Increases occurred primarily with Korea and Japan; a decrease occurred primarily with Taiwan.    
       
     
     The year to date final statistics through September 2012 showed steel imports of 23.3 million metric tons compared with 19.9 million metric tons through September 2011. The largest commodity increases occurred primarily in oil country goods and blooms, billets, and slabs; a large decrease occurred in heavy structural shapes.  The largest country increases occurred primarily with Brazil, Korea, and Turkey; decreases occurred primarily with Australia and Mexico.  



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/trade. On the website, you can access product by country and country by product tables.

The next release is December 27, 2012.