The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Wednesday that based on the US Department of Commerce's most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data, steel import permit applications in May fell 6 percent from April to 2,579,000 nt (2,339,643 mt).
For finished steel products, import permit tonnage in May was 1,768,000 nt (1,603,912 mt)-down 8 percent from preliminary imports of 1,915,000 nt (1,737,269 mt) in April. Finished steel import market share in May 21 percent, the same as the 2011 year-to-date market share.
In May, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for Korea (222,000 nt, down 28 percent from April), Japan (145,000 nt, up 36 percent), China (114,000 nt, up 19 percent), Turkey (80,000 nt, down 32 percent) and Germany (77,000 nt, up 6 percent). Finished steel import permits for major products that registered large increases in May compared to April preliminary include wire rod (up 26 percent) and oil country goods (up 14 percent).