Based on the US Department of Commerce's most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Wednesday that steel import permit applications in the US for the month of October totaled 1,491,000 net tons, representing a 24 percent increase from the September preliminary import total of 1,204,000 nt.
The October permit application data reflects a 16 percent increase from the 1,283,000 permit tons recorded in September 2009 and includes 1,187,000 nt of finished steel, which is also an increase of 16 percent from the preliminary import total for finished steel in September.
Finished steel import permits for major product categories that registered significant increases in October vs. the September preliminary include wire rods (up 50 percent), line pipe (up 40 percent), oil country goods (up 39 percent) and hot rolled bars (up 39 percent).