US steel imports jump on Brazil slab surge in April

US steel imports surged in April on the re-opening of quarterly quota limits on slab from Brazil - and despite double-digit declines for some finished steel goods.

The US imported 2.68 million tons of steel last month, up by 68.9% from March but down by 11.3% from April 2019, according to license data from the US Department of Commerce's Enforcement and Compliance division last updated on Tuesday May 5.
The increase resulted from a surge in imports of semi-finished goods - a category that includes slab - rising nearly sevenfold to 1.42 million tons.

That gain stemmed almost entirely from Brazil sending 1.2 million tons of slab to the US in April, up from just 81.6 tonnes in March and after the South American nation shipped no semi-finished goods to US ports in February, Commerce figures show.
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