AISI Releases October SIMA Imports Data

November 6, 2019

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 2,560,000 net tons (NT)*. This was a 29.2% increase from the 1,982,000 permit tons recorded in September and a 34.6% increase from the September final imports total of 1,902,000. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in October was 1,519,000, down 0.9% from the final imports total of 1,532,000 in September. For the first ten months of 2019 (including October SIMA permits and September final imports), total and finished steel imports were 25,152,000 NT and 18,384,000 NT, down 14.6% and 16.8%, respectively, from the same period in 2018. The estimated finished steel import market share in October was 17% and is 20% year-to-date (YTD).

Finished steel imports with large increases in October permits vs. the September final imports included light shapes bars (up 81%), black plate (up 44%), wire rods (up 35%), sheets and strip hot dipped galvanized (up 20%), mechanical tubing (up 19%), tin plate (up 17%) and hot rolled bars (up 14%). Products with significant year-to date (YTD) increases vs. the same period in 2018 include black plate (up 109%), steel piling (up 44%) and tin free steel (up 25%).

In October, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for South Korea (186,000 NT, up 18% from September final), Germany (86,000 NT, up 33%), Japan (82,000 NT, up 15%), Brazil (67,000 NT, up 74%) and The Netherlands (54,000 NT, up 38%). Through the first ten months of 2019, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (2,235,000 NT, down 10% from the same period last year), Japan (1,098,000 NT, down 6%) and Germany (917,000 NT, down 17%).

*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@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 is comprised of 18 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and approximately 120 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).