Based on the US Commerce Department’s most recent steel import monitoring and analysis (SIMA) data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has reported that steel import permit applications for the month of September totalled 2.8Mt (net tons) down 7% from the 3.0Mt (permit tons) recorded in August and a 5% decrease from the August preliminary imports total of 2.9Mt (net tons). Import permit tonnage for finished steel in September was 2.09Mt, down 9% from the preliminary imports total of 2.3Mt in August. For the first nine months of 2016 (including September SIMA permits and August preliminary data), total and finished steel imports were 24.8Mt (net tons) and 19.6Mt (net tons), down 20% and 22%, respectively, from the same period in 2015. The estimated finished steel import market share in September was 25% and is 25% year-to-date (YTD).
Finished steel imports with large increases in September permits versus the August preliminary included sheets and strip galvanised electrolytic (up 82%), oil country goods (up 20%) and sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 15%).Rebar (up 12%) had a significant year-to-date (YTD) increase versus the same period in 2015.
In September, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for South Korea (288kt - net tons), down 14% from August preliminary, Japan (161kt - net tons), down 9%), Turkey (159kt - net tons), down 12%, Germany (113kt - net tons), down 12%, and Vietnam (109kt - net tons) up 2%. Through the first nine months of 2016, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (2,9Mt - net tons), down 18% from the same period in 2015, Turkey (1.8Mt - net tons) down 9%, and Japan (1,4Mt - net tons) down 14%.