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 February totaled 2,186,000 net tons (NT)*. This was a 12.5% decrease from the 2,498,000 permit tons recorded in January and a 16.2% decrease from the January final imports total of 2,609,000. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in February was 1,650,000, down 17.6% from the final imports total of 2,002,000 in January. For the first two months of 2023 (including February SIMA permits and January final imports), total and finished steel imports were 4,795,000 NT and 3,652,000 NT, down 11.1% and 11.3%, respectively, from the same period in 2022. The estimated finished steel import market share in February was 22% and is 23% year-to-date (YTD).

Steel imports with large increases in February permits vs. January final imports include black plate (up 35%) and line pipe (up 31%). Products with significant year-to-date (YTD) increase vs. the same period in 2022 include standard rails (up 173%), oil country goods (up 68%), line pipe (up 58%), steel piling (up 39%) and light shapes bars (up 20%).

In February, the largest steel import permit applications were for Canada (520,000 NT, down 12% from January final), Mexico (377,000 NT, down 17%), Brazil (347,000 NT, down 12%), South Korea (231,000 NT, up 67%) and Germany (82,000 NT, down 18%). Through the first two months of 2023, the largest suppliers were Canada (1,113,000 NT, up 6%), Mexico (833,000 NT, down 18%) and Brazil (742,000 NT, up 16%).

*Note that import permits data are counts of tonnages requested in applications for licenses to import steel products and are not actual import volumes. For a number of reasons, permit tonnages may understate or overstate actual import volumes for the month, preliminary estimates of which will be available later this month.

AISI serves as the voice of the American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI’s membership is comprised of integrated and electric arc furnace steelmakers, and associate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry. For more news about steel and its applications, view AISI’s website at www.steel.org. Follow AISI on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter (@AISISteel) or Instagram.

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