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U.S. Finished Steel Imports Jump in January
02/06/2013 - The American Iron and Steel Institute reported that steel import permit applications for the month of January 2013 totaled 2,629,000 tons — a 12% rise from December 2012.
Based on the 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 January totaled 2,629,000 tons. This was an 8% increase from the 2,438,000 permit tons recorded in December and up 12% from the December preliminary imports total of 2,339,000 tons. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in January was 2,168,000T, up 31% from the preliminary imports total of 1,654,000 tons in December. January 2013 total and finished steel import permit tons would annualize at 31,546,000 tons and 26,014,000 tons, down 5% and up 1%, respectively, vs. the 33,348,000 tons and 25,699,000 tons imported in 2012. The estimated finished steel import market share in January was 24%.
Finished steel imports with large increases in January permits vs. the December preliminary include reinforcing bars (up 143%), heavy structural shapes (up 136%), sheets and strip galvanized electrolytic (up 103%), oil country goods (up 89%) and sheets and strip galvanized hot dipped (up 66%).
In January, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for South Korea (368,000 tons, up 174% from December), China (184,000 tons, up 12%), Turkey (160,000 tons, up 227%), Japan (137,000 tons, up 71%) and Germany (71,000 tons, down 23%).
“More imports equal less American jobs,” said AISI president and CEO Thomas J. Gibson. “Trade-distorting foreign government trade policies have created an un-level playing field where the finished steel market share in January was 24 percent and imports rose by 30 percent. This surge in imports is unacceptable. We will continue to urge all levels of the federal government to take action against these unfair trade practices and enable the steel industry — and all manufacturing industries — to move out of the recession and into job creation.”
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 25 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and 124 associate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry. AISI's member companies represent approximately over three quarters of both U.S. and North American steel capacity
