Although overall permits for steel imports in the US fell in July, imports for a number of products reflected gains, according to the most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data. The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Wednesday that steel import permit applications for the month of July totaled 2,627,000 net tons (nt). This was an 8 percent decrease from the 2,855,000 permit tons recorded in June, but a 1 percent increase from the June preliminary imports total of 2,593,000 nt. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in July was 2,067,000 nt, down 2 percent from the preliminary imports total of 2,098,000 nt in June. July 2012 total and finished steel import permit tons would annualize at 34,339,000 nt and 26,683,000 NT, up 20 percent and 22 percent, respectively, versus the 28,515,000 nt and 21,835,000 nt imported in 2011.The estimated finished steel import market share in July was 23 percent, and it is 24 percent through the first seven months of 2012.
Finished steel imports with large increases in July permits compared with June preliminary data include line pipe (up 50 percent), standard rails (up 43 percent), hot rolled sheets (up 16 percent) and cold finished bars (up 14 percent). Major products with significant year-to-date increases versus the same period in 2011 include reinforcing bars (up 54 percent), line pipe (up 45 percent), cut lengths plates (up 40 percent), oil country goods (up 36 percent), sheets and strip hot dipped galvanized (up 31 percent) and sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 27 percent).
In July, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for South Korea (332,000 nt and up 13 percent from June); Japan (169,000 nt and up 29 percent); China (119,000 nt and down 32 percent); Italy (88,000 nt and up 81 percent); and India (84,000 nt and up 187 percent). Through the first 7 months of 2012, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea, Japan and China.