Steel imports increase 25 percent in March

Based on the Commerce Department’s most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that steel import permit applications for the month of March totaled 1,971 ,000 net tons (NT).

This was a 20 percent increase from the 1,644,000 permit tons recorded in February and a 25 percent increase from the February preliminary imports total of 1,574,000 NT. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in March was 1,627,000 NT, a 27 percent increase from the 1,278,000 permit tons recorded in February and a 34 percent increase from the February preliminary imports total of 1,214,000 NT.

The gains in apparent steel demand and domestic production (March vs. February) were 14 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Finished steel import market share in March is estimated at 20 percent (vs. less than 15 percent in August of last year).