SIMA and AISI report: Steel Import Permits Decline 7%

Monday, Mar 08, 2010

Based on the Commerce Department’s most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported today that steel import permit applications for the month of February totaled 1,530,000 net tons (NT).  This was a 7% decrease from the 1,644,000 permit tons recorded in January and a 6% decrease from the January preliminary imports total of 1,634,000 NT.  

Import permit tonnage for finished steel in February was 1,194,000 NT, which was a decrease of 5% from the preliminary imports total of 1,257,000 NT in January.  February total and finished steel import permit tons would annualize at 18,983,000 NT and 14,704,000 NT, up 17% and 4%, respectively, from the 16,215,000 NT and 14,179,000 NT imported in 2009.

In February, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for Japan (113,000 NT, up 45% from January), Korea (89,000 NT, down 41%), Germany (55,000 NT, up 47%), India (53,000 NT, up 184%) and Australia (48,000 NT, up 74%).   Finished steel import market share in February is estimated at 18% 

Finished steel import permits for major product categories that registered significant increases in February vs. the January preliminary include reinforcing bar (up 108%), wire rod (up 39%), and cut-length plate (up 38%).

In commenting on the February SIMA data, Thomas J. Gibson, AISI president and CEO, stated that, “While the aggregate import totals so far this year remain below historical levels, finished steel import market share has been creeping higher in recent months.  Given the fragility of emerging signs of  U.S. economic and steel market recovery, AISI and its U.S. members will continue to monitor closely indications of dumped and subsidized imports from individual suppliers, and we will intensify our focus on steel Customs fraud and trade law circumvention problems.”

AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice.  AISI also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology.  AISI is comprised of 24 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and 138 associate and affiliate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry.  AISI's member companies represent approximately 75 percent of both U.S. and North American steel capacity.  For more news about steel and its applications, view AISI’s Web site at www.steel.org.

Source: AISI