For Immediate Release November 8, 2017

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 3,110,000 net tons (NT)*. This was a 0.8% increase from the 3,084,000 permit tons recorded in September and a 0.3% decrease from the September final imports total of 3,118,000 NT. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in October was 2,419,000, down 3.4% from the final imports total of 2,504,000 in September. For the first ten months of 2017 (including October SIMA permits and September final data), total and finished steel imports were 32,841,000 NT and 25,375,000 NT, up 19.4% and 15.1%, respectively, from the same period in 2016. The estimated finished steel import market share in October was 26% and is 27% year-to-date (YTD).

Finished steel imports with large increases in October permits vs. the September final included steel piling (up 159%), tin free steel (up 45%), structural pipe and tubing (up 32%), cut lengths plates (up 25%), plates in coils (up 20%), hot rolled bars (up 17%) and standard pipe (up 13%). Products with significant year-to date (YTD) increases vs. the same period in 2016 include oil country goods (up 231%), line pipe (up 61%), standard pipe (up 44%), mechanical tubing (up 34%), structural pipe and tubing (up 29%), cold rolled sheets (up 26%), hot rolled bars (up 24%), sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 23%), and sheets and strip hot dipped galvanized (up 16%).

In October, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for South Korea (326,000 NT, down 1% from September final), Turkey (136,000 NT, up 13%), Germany (135,000 NT, down 12%), Brazil (91,000 NT, down 17%) and Japan (91,000 NT, down 46%). Through the first ten months of 2017, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (3,282,000 NT, up 0.4%), Turkey (2,089,000 NT, up 1%) and Japan (1,326,000 NT, down 16%).

  • Monthly permit numbers provided to date may be understated, as entry documentation with the required import license number may be submitted up to ten days after imports have entered U.S. commerce.