The US imported 1.39mn nt (1.26mn mt) of steel while finished steel imports fell 13.2pc to 1.31mn nt in June from the previous month, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).
In H1 2020, total and finished steel imports decreased by 20.8pc and 26.2pc to 12.38mn nt and 8.63mn nt, respectively, compared with the prior-year period.
Unfinished steel imports in June dropped by 73.9pc to 79,735nt from 305,577nt in May. Meanwhile, for the first six months of 2020, unfinished steel imports stood at 3.75mn nt, down 4.9pc from the prior-year period.
The market share for finished steel imports was estimated at 21pc in June and 19pc in the first half of 2020.
Key finished steel products with a significant increase in imports in June from May include line pipe (up 30pc) and sheets and strips, hot-dipped, and galvanized all of which were up 23pc.
In June, the largest imports of finished steel were from South Korea (187,000nt – down 19pc from May), Japan (61,000nt, down 41pc), and Germany (79,000nt. up 22pc).
For H1 of 2020, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (1.12mn nt, down 22.5pc from prior year period), Japan (434,000nt, down 40pc), and Germany (377,000nt, down 39pc).