AISI Releases June SIMA Imports Data

Finished Import Market Share Estimated at 21 Percent in June

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 June totaled 2,965,000 net tons (NT)*. This was a 12.4% increase from the 2,637,000 permit tons recorded in May and a 17.5% increase from the May final imports total of 2,523,000. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in June was 1,982,000, up 6.8% from the final imports total of 1,856,000 in May. For the first six months of 2021 (including June SIMA permits and May final imports), total and finished steel imports were 14,756,000 NT and 9,959,000 NT, up 19.0% and 15.2%, respectively, from the same period in 2020. The estimated finished steel import market share in June was 21% and is 19% year-to-date (YTD).

Finished steel imports with large increases in June permits vs. the May final imports include black plate (up 136%), heavy structural shapes (up 53%), oil country goods (up 38%), cold rolled sheets (up 26%), wire rods (up 18%), reinforcing bars (up 17%), hot rolled sheets (up 16%), cut lengths plates (up 16%), mechanical tubing (up 15%), plates in coils (up 14%), line pipe (up 13%) and standard pipe (up 11%). Products with significant year-to date (YTD) increases vs. the same period in 2020 include light shapes bars (up 55%), hot rolled sheets (up 54%), plates in coils (up 41%), cut lengths plates (up 34%), sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 31%), wire rods (up 25%), tin plate (up 24%), wire drawn (up 20%), sheets and strip galvanized hot dipped (up 12%) and hot rolled bars (up 10%).

In June, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for South Korea (284,000 NT, up 50% from May final), Japan (111,000 NT, up 15%), Germany (99,000 NT, up 2%), Taiwan (94,000 NT, up 13%) and The Netherlands (86,000 NT, up 36%). Through the first six months of 2021, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (1,341,000 NT, up 19% from the same period last year), Japan (514,000 NT, up 19%) and Germany (414,000 NT, up 10%).

*Note that import permits data are counts of tonnages requested in applications for licenses to import steel mill products and are not actual import volumes. For a number of reasons, permit tonnages may understate or overstate actual import volumes for the month, preliminary estimates of which will be available later this month.

####

Contact: Lisa Harrison

202.452.7115 / lharrison@steel.org

AISI serves as the voice of the 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 arc 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).