AISI releases SIMA Imports data for Sep ‘15; 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 September totaled 2,891,000 net tons (NT). This was a 8% decrease from the 3,130,000 permit tons recorded in August and a 6% decrease from the August Final imports total of 3,061,000 NT.

Import permit tonnage for finished steel in September was 2,226,000, down 10% from the final imports total of 2,478,000 in August. For the first 9 months of 2015 (including September SIMA and August Final), total and finished steel imports were 30,959,000 NT and 25,180,000 NT, respectively, down 5% and up 3% from the same period in 2014. The estimated finished steel import market share in September was 25% and is 30% year-to-date (YTD).

Finished steel imports with large increases in September permits vs. August Final included standard rail (up 334%), cut lengths plates (up 59%) and cold rolled sheets (up 19%).

Products with significant year-to-date (YTD) increases vs. the same period in 2014 include reinforcing bar (up 48%), line pipe (up 35%), standard pipe (up 21%), tin plate (up 15%), sheets and strip hot dipped galvanized (up 13%) and wire drawn (up 11%).

In September, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for South Korea (306,000 NT, up 1% from August Final), Japan (188,000 NT down 13%), Germany (153,000 NT, up 80%), Turkey (148,000, down 13%) and China (127,000 NT, down 19%). Through the first nine months of 2015, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (3,977,000 NT, down 1% from the same period in 2014), Turkey (2,186,000 NT, up 48%) and China (2,089,000, down 11%).

Courtesy: American Iron and Steel Institute