US pig iron imports nearly double in September

US import volumes of steelmaking feedstocks surged by 50pc in September as a result of higher pig iron shipments from Brazil and Ukraine, according to US customs data released this week.

• Pig iron import volumes reached an eight-month high in September at 480,000 metric tonnes (t) as shipments from Brazil and Ukraine increased by 71pc and 308pc, respectively, compared with September 2023.
• Pig iron imports were steady in the third quarter at about 1.13mn t, up 4pc from a year earlier.
• Ferrous scrap imports also rose to an eight-month high in September, driven by Canadian scrap shipments to the US reaching 295,000t, the highest sum since March 2023.
• US imports of Mexican scrap increased to 57,000t, a 120pc increase from September 2023.
• The US did not import significant volumes of scrap from other nations in September after receiving bulk cargoes from Poland, Sweden and the Netherlands earlier this year.
• Bulk vessel manifest data shows US seaborne scrap imports rose in October, when two bulk cargoes of busheling and shred totaling 62,000t arrived to Charleston, South Carolina, and New Orleans, Louisiana.
• Direct reduced iron imports from Nucor's plant in Trinidad and Tobago increased by 23pc to 126,000t in September compared with a year earlier.

By James Marshall