Steel Import Permits Down 14% in November
12/09/2011 - Steel import permit applications totaled 1,984,000 net tons for the month of November, a 14% decrease from the 2,309,000 permit tons recorded in October according to the latest report from AISI.
Steel import permit applications totaled 1,984,000 net tons for the month of November according to the latest report from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). The November total represents a 14% decrease from the 2,309,000 permit tons recorded in October and a 9% decrease from the October preliminary imports total of 2,192,000 net tons.
The report, which is based on the Commerce Department’s most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data, shows that the November total included import permit tonnage of 1,611,000 net tons for finished steel, down 8% from the preliminary imports total of 1,754,000 net tons in October.
Year-to date (YTD) 2011 total steel import permit tons would annualize at 28,545,000 net tons, up 19% vs. the 23,929,000 net tons imported in 2010. YTD 2011 finished steel import permit tons would annualize at 21,899,000 net tons, up 16% vs. the 18,857,000 finished steel net tons imported in 2010. The estimated finished steel import market share was 20% for November and 22% for the year-to-date.
In November, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for Korea (198,000 net tons, down 7% from October), The Netherlands (113,000 net tons, up 106%), Japan (95,000 net tons, down 16%), China (86,000 net tons, down 17%) and Germany (78,000 net tons, down 5%).
Finished steel import permits for products that registered increases in November vs. the October preliminary include standard rail (up 45%), electrical sheets and strip (up 22%), tin-free steel (up 12%), and standard pipe (up 10%).
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. The Institute comprises 25 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and 140 associate and affiliate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry.
