AISI releases SIMA Imports data for Jan ‘16; market share at 25%

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Based on the Commerce Department’s most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported today that steel import permit applications for the month of January this year totaled 2,696,000 net tons (NT). This was a 2% increase from the 2,638,000 permit tons recorded in December last year and an 16% increase from the December ’15 preliminary imports total of 2,323,000 NT.

Import permit tonnage for finished steel in January was 2,093,000 NT, up 4% from the preliminary imports total of 2,017,000 in December. The estimated finished steel import market share in January was 25%.

Finished steel imports with large increases in January permits vs. Dec ’15 preliminary included standard rails (up 460%), oil country goods (up 91%), reinforcing bars (up 74%), standard pipe (up 68%), line pipe (up 45%), cold finished bars (up 24%), structural pipe and tubing (up 19%), wire drawn (up 11%) and plates in coils (up 11%).

In January, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for Turkey (262,000 NT, up 56% from December preliminary), South Korea (259,000 NT up 10%), Japan (216,000 NT, up 50%), Germany (125,000, up 3%) and Brazil (89,000 NT, up 30%).

Courtesy: American Iron and Steel Institute