While traders continue to report “all quiet on the inquiry front” for import rebar offers—due primarily to uncertainty regarding the ongoing Section 232 investigation—imported material is widely available at US ports. According to the latest US import license data, June import permit totals for rebar reached 276,933 mt in June, a 12-month high. Of that total, Turkish rebar accounted for 160,235 mt, and sources tell SteelOrbis that a significant portion of June arrivals are available as positions at US ports, offering an alternative to higher-priced US domestic rebar. However, those totals appear to be a “last blast” in import arrivals for a while—so far this month (as of July 11), there have been zero rebar import permits recorded from Turkey, and only 19,630 mt from all other sources, reflecting strong Section 232 uncertainty.
While there are few, if any offers available for future shipments of imported rebar (US buyers would be responsible for paying any Section 232 tariffs on current orders), the last heard offers for imported rebar in the US domestic market from Turkey were $25.00-$26.00 cwt. ($490-$510/nt or $540-$562/mt) DDP loaded truck in US Gulf ports.