U.S. Steel Import Permits Gain Despite Lower Finished Imports

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The latest Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) figures released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) indicate that U.S. steel import permit applications recorded a modest increase during June 2026. Meanwhile, finished steel imports declined compared to the previous month.

According to the data, total steel import permits reached 2.059 million net tons (NT) in June, 3.5% higher than the permit volume recorded in May. However, the June permit total remained 5.8% below the final import volume reported for May. Finished steel import permits stood at 1.478 million NT, down by 5.6% month-on-month.

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During the first half of 2026, cumulative steel imports totaled 11.247 million NT, while finished steel imports amounted to 8.181 million NT. Compared with the corresponding period in 2025, these figures represented significant declines of 23.1% and 24.3%, respectively. The finished steel imports accounted for 17% of the U.S. market in June and 16% on a year-to-date basis, AISI data said.

The product categories to report a notable jump in import permits in June include line pipe, hot-rolled sheets, cut-length plates, cold-rolled sheets, and structural pipe and tubing. On a year-to-date basis, the strongest growth was recorded in standard rails, followed by heavy structural shapes, structural pipe and tubing, and reinforcing bars.