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Steel Import Permit Applications Decline 10% in September
10/05/2007 - Although steel import permit applications for the month of September 2007 reflect a 10% decrease from previous month, year-to-date totals are still 10% higher than for the same period in 2005.
Steel import permit applications totaled 2,329,000 net tons for the month of September 2007, according to the latest report from the American Iron and Steel Institute.
The report, which is based on the Commerce Department’s most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data, shows that the September total reflects a 10% decrease from the 2,584,000 permit tons recorded in August 2007, and a 9% decrease from the August preliminary imports total of 2,558,000 net tons. The September total was also 13% lower than the 2005 monthly average (2006 was an all-time record year for imports). Import permit tonnage for finished steel was 1,934,000 net tons in September 2007, 5% below the preliminary imports of 2,034,000 net tons in August.
Year-to-date finished steel imports in 2007 — a 9-month total, including September SIMA data — remain 10% higher than the same period in 2005.
For September 2007, the largest volumes of steel import permit applications for countries outside of North America were from China (356,000 net tons), Ukraine (188,000 net tons), and Korea (155,000 net tons).
Finished steel import permit applications for Chinese steel (356,000 net tons) were down 1% in September compared to the preliminary imports total for August. This tonnage for China, while still below the 2006 record tonnage amounts that occurred in the second half of last year, was 85% higher than the 2005 monthly average of 192,000 net tons for China.
In analyzing the SIMA data for the month of September, AISI President and CEO Andrew G. Sharkey III, said that, “Notwithstanding the monthly decline, the yearly total remains at an elevated level, and there are ongoing concerns about China and trade-distorting practices.”
AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. AISI is comprised of 31 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and 130 associate and affiliate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry.
