AISI Releases October SIMA Imports Data

Finished Import Market Share Estimated at 21 Percent in October

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 October totaled 2,396,000 net tons (NT)*. This was an 18.8% decrease from the 2,950,000 permit tons recorded in September and a 26.0% decrease from the September preliminary imports total of 3,237,000. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in October was 1,998,000, down 19.1% from the preliminary imports total of 2,469,000 in September. For the first ten months of 2021 (including October SIMA permits and September preliminary imports), total and finished steel imports were 26,202,000 NT and 18,682,000 NT, up 36.8% and 37.2%, respectively, from the same period in 2020. The estimated finished steel import market share in October was 21% and is 21% year-to-date (YTD).

Finished steel imports with large increases in October permits vs. the September preliminary imports include black plate (up 30%), structural pipe and tubing (up 29%), stainless pipe and tubing (up 15%) and cold finished bars (up 13%). Products with significant year-to date (YTD) increases vs. the same period in 2020 include hot rolled sheets (up 111%), plates in coils (up 88%), wire rods (up 62%), cut lengths plates (up 58%), sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 57%), oil country goods (up 42%), cold rolled sheets (up 32%),  heavy structural shapes (up 26%), hot rolled bars (up 26%), wire drawn (up 22%), sheets and strip hot dipped galvanized (up 21%), reinforcing bars (up 16%) and tin plate (up 16%).

In October, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for South Korea (205,000 NT, down 31% from September preliminary), Turkey (125,000 NT, up 6%), Vietnam (100,000 NT, up 29%), Taiwan (79,000 NT, down 16%) and Japan (86,000 NT, up 5%). Through the first ten months of 2021, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (2,300,000 NT, up 38% from the same period last year), Japan (835,000 NT, up 26%) and Turkey (800,000 NT, up 62%).

*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.

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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’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, LinkedIn, Twitter (@AISISteel) or Instagram.