AISI: U.S. Steel Import Market Share at 25% in February
03/06/2014 - Based on the U.S. Commerce Department’s most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that steel import permit applications for the month of February 2014 total 3,194,000 tons.
This was a 2% decrease from the 3,259,000 permit tons recorded in January and 1% increase from the January preliminary imports total of 3,172,000 tons. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in February was 2,211,000, down 8% from the preliminary imports total of 2,409,000 in January. For the first two months of 2014 (including February SIMA and January preliminary), total and finished steel imports were 6,366,000 tons and 4,620,000 tons, respectively, up 24% and 15% from the same period in 2013. The estimated finished steel import market share in February was 25% and is 25% year-to-date (YTD).
Finished steel imports with large increases in February permits vs. the January preliminary included tin plate (up 76%), cut lengths plates (up 57%), structural pipe and tubing (up 39%), mechanical tubing (up 25%) and plates in coils (up 17%). Products with significant year-to-date (YTD) increases vs. the same period in 2013 include wire rods (up 82%), plates in coils (up 80%), reinforcing bars (up 52%), sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 41%), sheets and strip galvanized hot dipped (up 31%), hot rolled sheets (up 30%), oil country goods (up 27%), mechanical tubing (up 27%) and cold rolled sheets (up 16%).
In February, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for South Korea (397,000 tons, down 8% from January preliminary), China (170,000 tons down 11%), India (143,000 tons, up 103%), Japan (141,000 tons, down 11%) and Turkey (91,000 tons, down 55%). Through the first two months of 2014, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (826,000 tons, up 28% from the same period in 2013), China (360,000 tons, up 16%) and Japan (301,000 tons, up 13%).
Finished steel imports with large increases in February permits vs. the January preliminary included tin plate (up 76%), cut lengths plates (up 57%), structural pipe and tubing (up 39%), mechanical tubing (up 25%) and plates in coils (up 17%). Products with significant year-to-date (YTD) increases vs. the same period in 2013 include wire rods (up 82%), plates in coils (up 80%), reinforcing bars (up 52%), sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 41%), sheets and strip galvanized hot dipped (up 31%), hot rolled sheets (up 30%), oil country goods (up 27%), mechanical tubing (up 27%) and cold rolled sheets (up 16%).
In February, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for South Korea (397,000 tons, down 8% from January preliminary), China (170,000 tons down 11%), India (143,000 tons, up 103%), Japan (141,000 tons, down 11%) and Turkey (91,000 tons, down 55%). Through the first two months of 2014, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (826,000 tons, up 28% from the same period in 2013), China (360,000 tons, up 16%) and Japan (301,000 tons, up 13%).
