The US Commerce Department's most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data indicates that steel import permit applications in February 2009 totaled approximately 1,623,000 net tons (nt), representing a 29 percent decrease from the January 2009 permit total and a 31 percent decrease from the January 2009 preliminary import total.
Furthermore, February import permit tonnage for finished steel also declined 29 percent from the prior month's permit total, to 1,511,000 nt.
February 2009 total and finished steel import permit tonnage would annualize at 23,793,000 nt and 21,870,000 respectively, which would represent a decrease of 26 percent and 16 percent, from the respective 2008 import tonnage of 31,927,000 nt and 25,956,000 nt.