AISI Releases January SIMA Imports Data

February 8, 2023

Finished Import Market Share Estimated at 23 Percent in January

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 2,483,000 net tons (NT)*.  This was a 9.8% increase from the 2,262,000 permit tons recorded in December and a 12.7% increase from the December final imports total of 2,203,000. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in January was 1,952,000, up 4.8% from the final imports total of 1,863,000 in December.  The estimated finished steel import market share in January was 23%.

Steel imports with large increases in January permits vs. the December final imports include heavy structural shapes (up 102%), cut lengths plates (up 69%), tin free steel (up 63%), ingots and billets and slabs (up 56%) and reinforcing bars (up 51%).

In January, the largest steel import permit applications were for Canada (591,000 NT, up 13% vs. December final), Mexico (458,000 NT, up 10%), Brazil (309,000 NT, up 535%), Japan (108,000 NT, down 9%) and South Korea (104,000 NT, down 55%).

*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’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.