Washington, D.C. – 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 March totaled 2,677,000 net tons (NT)*. This was a 5.0% increase from the 2,549,000 permit tons recorded in February. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in March was 1,825,000, up 3.6% from the SIMA permits total of 1,762,000 in February. For the first three months of 2019 (including March and February SIMA), total and finished steel imports were 8,704,000 NT and 6,038,000 NT, up 0.1% and down 11.7%, respectively, from the same period in 2018. The estimated finished steel import market share in March was 19% and is 21% year-to-date (YTD).

Finished steel imports with large increases in March permits vs. the February permits included black plate (up 187%), reinforcing bars (up 154%), heavy structural shapes (up 118%), steel piling (up 117%), structural pipe and tubing (up 29%), cold rolled sheets (up 18%), hot rolled bars (up 16%), sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 13%), and plates in coils (up 13%). Products with significant year-to date (YTD) increases vs. the same period in 2018 include black plate (up 60%), line pipe (up 41%), steel piling (up 30%) and tin free steel (up 19%).

In March, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for South Korea (185,000 NT, down 7% from February permits), Japan (113,000 NT, down 13%), Germany (103,000 NT, up 25%), Taiwan (103,000 NT, up 49%) and Vietnam (81,000 NT, up 42%). Through the first three months of 2019, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (746,000 NT, down 21% from the same period last year), Japan (349,000 NT, down 11%) and Germany (320,000 NT, up 11%).

* Monthly permit numbers provided to date may be understated, as entry documentation with the required import license number may be submitted up to ten days after imports have entered U.S. commerce.

• [Editor:gaoyidan]