STEEL IMPORTS FOR JANUARY 2001
DECREASE 5 PERCENT FROM DECEMBER 2000

Newly released preliminary government figures covering steel imports for the month of January 2001 show that steel imports decreased 5 percent from December 2000 levels.

Total Steel Mill Products

The preliminary data released today show that overall steel imports in January 2001 decreased 5 percent compared to December 2000. The decrease in January's imports was due primarily to a decrease in imports of semi-finished steel products and wire rod. January 2001 imports of finished steel products rose 4 percent compared to December 2000, while imports of semi-finished steel fell 36 percent.

January 2001 imports of steel mill products were down 27 percent compared to January 2000. January 2001 imports of finished steel products were down 12 percent compared to January 2000 while semifinished steel imports were down 62 percent.

Hot-Rolled Steel

January 2001 imports of hot-rolled steel increased 16 percent compared December 2000. January 2001 imports of hot-rolled steel were down 34 percent compared to January 2000. These products are the subject of current antidumping and countervailing duty investigations.

Cold-Rolled Steel

January 2001 imports of cold-rolled steel increased 25 percent compared to December 2000. January 2001 imports of cold-rolled steel were up 56 percent compared to January 2000.

Cut-to-Length Plate

January 2001 imports of cut-to-length plate increased 17 percent compared to December 2000. January 2001 imports are down 17 percent compared to January 2000.

Corrosion-Resistant Steel

January 2001 imports of corrosion-resistant steel decreased 18 percent compared to December 2000. January 2001 imports of these products are down 28 percent compared to January 2000.

Wire Rod

January 2001 imports of wire rod decreased 55 percent compared to December 2000. January 2001 imports of these products are down 40 percent compared to January 2000.

Heavy Structurals

January 2001 imports of heavy structurals increased 17 percent compared to December 2000. January 2001 imports of these products are up 7 percent compared to January 2000.

Rebar

January 2001 imports of rebar increased 100 percent compared to December 2000. January 2001 imports of these products are up 3 percent compared to January 2000. These products are the subject of current antidumping and countervailing duty investigations.

Hot-Rolled Bar

January 2001 imports of hot-rolled bar decreased 5 percent compared to December 2000. January 2001 imports of these products are down 22 percent compared to January 2000.

Standard Pipe

January 2001 imports of standard pipe decreased 4 percent compared to December 2000. January 2001 imports of these products are up 3 percent compared to January 2000.

Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG)

January 2001 imports of OCTG increased 2 percent compared to December 2000. January 2001 imports of these products are up 158 percent compared to January 2000.

Semifinished Steel

January 2001 imports of semifinished steel decreased 36 percent compared to December 2000. January 2001 imports of these products are down 62 percent compared to January 2000. 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 January statistics next month. February preliminary figures will be released on March 22, 2001.

Note: Census issued revisions to certain country totals within product categories for 1998 and the first six 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.