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 September totaled 2,550,000 net tons (NT). This was a 3 percent decrease from the 2,638,000 permit tons recorded in August, but an increase of 3% from the August preliminary imports total of 2,475,000 NT. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in September was 1,947,000 NT, up 1 percent from the preliminary imports total of 1,929,000 NT in August. September 2012 total and finished steel import permit tons would annualize at 33,911,000 NT and 26,270,000 NT, up 19 percent and 22 percent, respectively, vs. the 28,515,000 NT and 21,835,000 NT imported in 2011. The estimated finished steel import market share in September was 23 percent, and it is 24 percent through 9 months of 2012.
Finished steel imports with large increases in September permits vs. the August preliminary include hot rolled sheets (up 20 percent), standard rails (up 352 percent), plates-in-coils (up 27 percent), sheets & strip all other metallic coatings (up 48 percent), wire rods (up 21 percent) and standard pipe (up 18 percent). Major products with significant year-to-date (YTD) increases vs. the same period in 2011 include reinforcing bars (up 51 percent), line pipe (up 36 percent), sheets & strip galvanized hot dipped (up 32 percent), cut lengths plates (up 32 percent), oil country goods (up 29 percent) and hot rolled bars (up 17 percent).