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

This release contains sensitive economic data not to be 
released before 10:00 a.m. Thursday, February 25, 1999

  CB-99-43 Press Copy 
  FT-900A (99-01)

For information contact:
Haydn R. Mearkle  (301) 457-2246 
Richard M. Preuss (301) 457-2311

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

     The Bureau of the Census, through the Department of Commerce, 
announced today that preliminary January steel imports were $1.0 billion 
(2.4 million metric tons).  This was a virtually the same as the 
preliminary December totals of $1.1 billion (2.5 million metric tons).

     The December to January change in steel imports, based on metric 
tonnage, reflected decreases primarily in sheets cold rolled, plates in 
coils, and blooms, billets and slabs.  The monthly change in steel 
imports reflected decreases primarily with Germany, Russia, and Brazil.

     The year-to-date final statistics through December of 1998 show 
steel imports of 37.7 million  metric tons, an increase of 9.4  million 
metric tons over the 28.3 million metric tons through December of 1997.  
The largest commodity increases were in sheets hot rolled, structural 
shapes heavy, and plates in coil.  The largest country increases were 
with Japan, Russia, and Korea.  

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 March 25, 1999

SOURCE: Report FT900A (CB-99-43), Bureau of the Census, Foreign Trade
        Division, January 1999 preliminary.  For more information, contact 
        Haydn R. Mearkle (301-457-2246) or Richard M. Preuss (301-457-2311), 
        Foreign Trade Division.