Steel import permits rise 16 percent

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 October totaled 1,491000 net tons (NT). This was a 16 percent increase from the 1,283,000 permit tons recorded in September 2009 and a 24 percent increase from the September preliminary imports total of 1,204,000 NT. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in October was 1,187,000 NT, which was also an increase of 16 percent from the preliminary imports total of 1,024,000 NT in September.

In October 2009, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for Korea (116,000 NT, up 80 percent from September), Japan (94,000 NT, up 85 percent), Turkey (69,000 NT, up 507 percent), the Netherlands (68,000 NT, up 192 percent) and China (56,000 NT, up 35 percent). Finished steel import market share in October is estimated at 18 percent and at 22 percent year-to-date.