Newly released preliminary government figures covering steel imports for the month of September show that steel imports decreased 20 percent from August 2000 levels.

Total Steel Mill Products

The preliminary data released today show that overall steel imports in September 2000 decreased 20 percent compared to August 2000. The decrease in September's imports was due primarily to a decrease in imports of hot-rolled steel, rebar and semifinished steel products. September imports of finished steel products fell 20 percent compared to August, while imports of semi-finished steel fell 18 percent.

September 2000 imports of steel mill products were down 6 percent compared to September 1999 and down 24 percent compared to September 1998. September 2000 imports of finished steel imports were down 3 percent compared to September 1999 and down 31 percent compared to September 1998.

Imports of overall steel mill products during the first nine months of 2000 are up 15 percent compared to the same period in 1999 and are roughly the same compared to same period in 1998, due in part to large increases in imports of semifinished steel which are used by the steel industry to produce finished steel products. January through September 2000 imports of semifinished steel were up 14 percent compared to the same period in 1999 and are up 33 percent compared to the same period in 1998. Finished steel imports during the first nine months of this year were up 15 percent compared to the same period in 1999 but down 7 percent compared to the same period in 1998.

Hot-Rolled Steel

September 2000 imports of hot-rolled steel fell 30 percent compared August 2000. September 2000 imports of hot-rolled steel were down 27 percent compared to September 1999 and 57 percent compared to September 1998.

Imports of these products during the first nine months of 2000 are up 38 percent compared to the same period in 1999 but down 22 percent compared to the same period in 1998.

Cold-Rolled Steel

September 2000 imports of cold-rolled steel decreased 12 percent compared to August 2000. September 2000 imports of cold-rolled steel were down 17 percent compared to September 1999 and down 35 percent compared to September 1998. Imports of these products during the first nine months of 2000 are down 18 percent compared to the same period in 1999.

Cut-to-Length Plate

September 2000 imports of cut-to-length plate decreased 27 percent compared to August 2000. September 2000 imports are up 85 percent compared to September 1999 but down 67 percent compared to September 1998. Imports of these products during the first nine months of 2000 are up 4 percent compared to the same period in 1999.

Corrosion-Resistant Steel

September 2000 imports of corrosion-resistant steel increased 4 percent compared to August 2000. Imports of these products during the first nine months of 2000 are down 5 percent compared to the same period in 1999.

Wire Rod

September 2000 imports of wire rod decreased 11 percent compared to August 2000. Imports of these products during the first nine months of 2000 are up 5 percent compared to the same period in 1999.

Heavy Structurals

September 2000 imports of heavy structurals decreased 18 percent compared to August 2000. Imports of these products during the first nine months of 2000 are up 30 percent compared to the same period in 1999.

Rebar

September 2000 imports of rebar decreased 42 percent compared to August 2000. Imports of these products during the first nine months of 2000 are up 4 percent compared to the same period in 1999. These products are the subject of recently initiated antidumping and countervailing duty investigations.

Hot-Rolled Bar

September 2000 imports of hot-rolled bar decreased 23 percent compared to August 2000. Imports of these products during the first nine months of 2000 are up 23 percent compared to the same period in 1999.

Standard Pipe

September 2000 imports of standard pipe decreased 38 percent compared to August 2000. Imports of these products during the first nine months of 2000 are up 53 percent compared to the same period in 1999.

Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG)

September 2000 imports of OCTG increased 11 percent compared to August 2000. Imports of these products during the first nine months of 2000 are up 486 percent compared to the same period in 1999.

Semifinished Steel

September 2000 imports of semifinished steel decreased 18 percent compared to August 2000. Imports of these products during the first nine months of 2000 are up 14 percent compared to the same period in 1999. Imports of these products are used by U.S. steel companies to produce finished products.

These figures are being provided on an expedited basis and will continue to be released on this schedule each month, consistent with the President's Steel Action Program of August 1999 and the Report to the President on Global Steel Trade of July 2000. The data released today are preliminary and are likely to change somewhat between now and the release of the final September statistics next month. October preliminary figures will be released on November 22, 2000.

Note: With November 1999's release, Census issued revisions to certain country totals within product categories for 1998 and the first nine months of 1999. Only individual country totals within certain product categories were affected by these revisions, the grand totals for these product categories were not affected. These revisions have been incorporated into this fact sheet and the accompanying data tables. Detailed reports containing the 1998 and January to June 1999 revisions are available on the Census Bureau web site.