AISI Declared Latest Steel Import Permit Statistics

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported notable surge in steel import permit applications for the month of September this year.

Based on the latest Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the import permit applications totalled 1.514 million net tons (NT) during the month, significantly higher by almost 7.2% when compared with the prior month. The August 2020 permits had totalled 1.413 million NT. The permit applications for finished steel totalled 1.141 million NT, modestly down by 3.2% from the final imports total of 1.179 million NT during the prior month.

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The cumulative steel imports by the U.S. during the initial nine months of the year totalled 17.905 million NT, whereas the finished steel imports totalled 12.342 million NT. The above figures are inclusive of SIMA data for September and August final imports. The total steel imports were down sharply by 20.7%. Also, finished steel imports recorded 26.8% decline when compared with Jan-Sep ‘19.

The SIMA data for September 2020 suggests notable surge in import permits of heavy structural shapes, steel pilings, hot rolled sheets, wire rods and hot dipped galvanized sheets and strip. The products with significant jump in imports during the first nine months of the year include tin free steel and light shapes bars. The largest offshore suppliers during Jan-Sep ‘20 were South Korea, Germany and Japan.