AISI Releases January SIMA Imports Data

February 5, 2020

Washington, D.C. – 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 January totaled 3,352,000 net tons (NT)*. This was a 45.6% increase from the 2,303,000 permit tons recorded in December and a 115.8% increase from the December preliminary imports total of 1,553,000 NT. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in January was 1,559,000, up 15.7% from the preliminary imports total of 1,347,000 in December. The estimated finished steel import market share in January was 17%.

Finished steel imports with large increases in January permits vs. the December preliminary included reinforcing bars (up 133%), sheet and strip all other metallic coatings (up 108%), heavy structural shapes (up 108%), wire rods (up 80%), sheets and strip galvanized hot dipped (up 45%), mechanical tubing (up 39%) and wire drawn (up 31%).

In January, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for South Korea (159,000 NT, down 5% from December preliminary), Japan (76,000 NT, up 14%), Turkey (50,000 NT, up 646%), Germany (50,000 NT, down 40%) and Taiwan (42,000 NT, up 42%).

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Contact: Lisa Harrison
202.452.7115 / lharrison@www.steel.org

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’s membership is comprised of integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and associate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry. For more news about steel and its applications, view AISI’s website at www.steel.org. Follow AISI on Facebook or Twitter (@AISISteel).