Steel Import Permit Applications Increase 15% in January
02/12/2008 - Steel import permit applications totaled 2,474,000 net tons in January, a 15% increase from the 2,137,000 permit tons recorded in December 2007 according to the latest report from the American Iron and Steel Institute.
Steel import permit applications totaled 2,474,000 net tons in January, according to the latest report from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).
The report, which is based on the Commerce Department’s most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data, show the January total was a 15% increase from the 2,137,000 permit tons recorded in December 2007, and a 25% increase from the December preliminary imports total of 1,977,000 net tons.
For finished steel, import permit tonnage reached 2,024,000 net tons in January, an increase of 28% from the preliminary imports of 1,583,000 net tons in December.
For January 2008, the largest volumes of finished steel import permit applications for countries outside of North America were from China (254,000 net tons), Korea (214,000 net tons), Japan (112,000 net tons), Germany (80,000 net tons), India (71,000 net tons), and Turkey (69,000 net tons). Finished steel import permit applications for Chinese steel (254,000) were up 42% in January compared to the preliminary imports total for December.
Product categories that experienced particularly significant increases compared to the December preliminary imports were:
- Rails Standard, +150%
- Heavy Structural Shapes, +147%
- Reinforcing Bars, +137%
- Sheets & Strip (All Other Metallic), +105%
- Oil Country Goods, +103%
- Line Pipe, +34%
- Galvanized Hot Dipped Sheets & Strip, +31%
“Even though imports are at a fairly moderate level early in 2008,” said AISI President and CEO Andrew G. Sharkey III, “we continue to closely monitor several product areas that show notable increases in the January SIMA data.”
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.
