The following is from the 1 March 2011 edition of The Journal of Commerce ”joc.com”.

NAFTA suppliers responding to improved demand, says AIIS

U.S. steel imports increased month-to-month 9.4 percent in January from December, according to preliminary government data.

“Imports from the NAFTA region jumped by 31.3 percent in January over the final data for December, as suppliers in the region responded quickly to improved demand, restocking requirements and increased prices in the U.S. market,” said David Phelps, president of the American Institute for International Steel.

Phelps said the increase in imports from the NAFTA region reflect more than the total increase in imports, as non-NAFTA suppliers registered a small decline in total tonnage during the same period.

“The lag time for order to delivery from offshore producers is generally from two to three months, so non-NAFTA imports in January reflect market conditions before the steel market improved,” he said.

Total steel imports in January 2011 were 2,048 million tons compared to 1,872 million tons in December 2010, a 9.4 percent increase from December, and a 23.2 percent increase compared to January 2010.

The data show that imported semi-finished products increased from 37,000 tons in January 2010 to 41,000 tons in January 2011, a 10.5 percent increase.