This release contains sensitive economic data not to 
be released before 10:00 a.m. Thursday, September 23, 1999

  CB-99-174      Press Copy 
  FT-900A (99-08)


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

 Preliminary: U.S. Imports for Consumption of Steel Products August 1999


     The Bureau of the Census, through the Department of Commerce, 
announced today that preliminary August steel imports were $1.0 billion 
(2.8 million metric tons).  This was virtually the same value, and a 
decrease of 0.1 million metric tons from the preliminary July totals of 
$1.1 billion (2.9 million metric tons).

     The July to August change in steel imports, based on metric tonnage, 
reflected decreases primarily in cold rolled sheets, hot rolled sheets, 
and line pipe.  Monthly changes in steel imports reflected decreases 
primarily with Korea, Germany and Mexico. 

The year-to-date final statistics through July of 1999 showed steel 
imports of 18.3 million metric tons, a decrease of 1.9 million metric 
tons from the 20.2 million metric tons through July of 1998.  The largest 
commodity decreases were in hot rolled sheets, plates in coils, and heavy 
structural shapes. The largest country decreases were with Russia, Japan, 
and Ukraine.                                                                    


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 October 21, 1999