US imports of steelmaking feedstocks rose by 48pc in April from the prior year driven by increased pig iron volumes and multiple deep-sea scrap vessels, including a rare bulk cargo from Mexico, according to US customs data.
- Total iron metallic imports rose to 961,000 metric tonnes in June, up by 48pc from a year earlier despite the 5 April implementation of 10pc import tariffs on pig iron, ferrous scrap and direct reduced iron (DRI) from most countries.
- Pig iron represented the largest portion of US iron metallic imports for the month at 424,000t, up by 43pc compared with a year earlier.
- Brazil remained the top origin for US imported pig iron at 212,000t, up by 43pc from the prior year. But more shipments from Ukraine, as well as a cargo from India, helped to drive monthly gains.
- Ferrous scrap imports rose in April to 411,000t, up by 79pc from a year earlier supported by strong shipments from Mexico and three bulk cargoes from the UK, Sweden and Poland.
- Scrap imports from Mexico surged to a multi-year high of 103,000t, up nearly fivefold from the prior year. The monthly shipments included one obsolete scrap bulk vessel shipped to Mobile, Alabama, which totaled about 36,000t. The bulk vessel was only the third ever shipped from Mexico to the US over the last 20 years.
- The US imported 187,000t of ferrous scrap from Canada in April, about 10pc less than the previous year.
- Direct reduced iron (DRI) imports from Nucor's Trinidad and Tobago plant — the only major supplier of imported DRI — rose by 2pc to 126,000t in April compared with a year earlier.
