The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Thursday that based on the US Department of Commerce's most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data, total steel import permit tons for the full year 2011 were 28.6 million net tons (nt), a 20 percent jump from import permits recorded in 2010. Finished steel import permit tons were 21.8 million nt in 2011, reflecting a 16 percent increase from 2010.
In December 2011, import permit applications totaled 2.2 million nt--9 percent higher than in December 2010 as well as a 5 percent increase from November preliminary imports. Import tonnage for finished steel in December fell 2 percent compared to November.
The largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries in December were for Korea (222,000 nt and 15 percent from November), Japan (130,000 nt and up 13) and Turkey (100,000 nt and up 319 percent). For full-year 2011, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (2, 856,000 nt and up 40 percent from 2010), Japan (1, 479,000 nt and up 12 percent) and China (1,244,000 nt and up 45 percent).
Additionally, for full-year 2011, products that saw significant increases vs. 2010 include cut-length plate (up 55 percent), mechanical tubing (up 44 percent), plates in coils (up 34 percent), line pipe (up 33 percent), sheet and strip--all other metallic coated (up 32 percent), reinforcing bar (up 27 percent), hot rolled bars (up 26 percent) and oil country goods (up 23 percent).