Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute reported that the US imported a total of 2,280,000 tons of steel in November 2007, including 1,922,000 tons of finished steel down by 18% MoM and down by 1% MoM respectively. China continues to dominate imports of pipe and tube products through the January to November 2007, accounting for 33% of total imports of such products.

Among the finished steel products showing large increases in November 2007 against October 2007 were
1. Oil country goods up by 46%MoM
2. Bars & light shapes up by 40% MoM
3. Hot rolled sheets up by 38% MoM.

Mr Andrew G Sharkey III president & CEO of AISI said that “China, a non market economy, continues to be the number one offshore supplier of finished steel to the United States. Trade and market distorting practices remain pervasive in the steel sector worldwide. There are strong concerns about ongoing high levels of imports in certain product categories and the last thing steel and US manufacturing in general need right now is for our existing rules against dumped and subsidized imports to be further weakened. This is why AISI joins with other US industries in strongly opposing the WTO Doha Round Chairman’s draft text on rules and agrees that this text is not an acceptable basis to conduct further negotiations.”

In November 2007, the 3 largest suppliers of finished steel from offshore were all from Asia are China with 309,000 tonnes up by 1% MoM, South Korea with 176,000 tonnes up by 9% MoM and Japan with 106,000 tonnes down by 3% MoM.