Based on the most recent import data from the US Commerce Department, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Wednesday that steel import permit applications for the month of August totaled 2,363,000 net tons (nt), a number that is down considerably from the previous month.
The August import steel permit total was down 21 percent from the 2,991,000 nt recorded in July 2008, and showed a 17 percent drop from the July preliminary import total of 2,842,000 nt.
AISI said the data also show that the for the first eight months of 2008 (including the August import permit application total and the July preliminary import total) a total of 21,136,000 nt were imported, which is down 11 percent from the 23,636,000 nt imported in the same period of the previous year.