US steel imports from Canada and Brazil, America's two biggest foreign suppliers, both rose 

from October to November, but overall imports of 2.47 million mt were down 13.6%, based o

n  preliminary  November  figures  compared  with final October figures from the US Census 

Bureau. 

An analysis by S&P Global Platts on Thursday revealed that while imports from Canada rose 

2.9%  to  496,963  mt  and  imports  from  Brazil  were up 39.9% to 454,129 mt, imports from 

another major supplier, South Korea, dropped by 46% to 190,595 mt, putting it fourth behind 

Mexico, down 8.5% to 238,511 mt. 

Brazil's exports to the US boomed on the strength of semi-finished steel, which is purchased 

by  US  steel producers. Those exports increased roughly 50% from October's final count of 

244,050 mt to the preliminary November total of 365,166 mt. 

By product, US imports from NAFTA partners Canada and Mexico were relatively status quo, 

but the big drop in imports from South Korea was due to sizable declines in shipments of oil 

country tubular goods, line pipe, sheet products, coiled plate, heavy sections and structural 

pipe and tube. 

The biggest gainer from October to November was the Netherlands, whose exports to the US 

increased 124% to just over 100,000 st, its highest monthly total by far this year. More than a 

third  of  the  shipments  were  tinplate,  the  volume  of  which  doubled  from  October. Other 

products with large gains were sheet products and coiled plate, all of which at least doubled.