AISI Releases May SIMA Imports Data

Jan 02, 2024

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 May totaled 2,395,000 net tons (NT)*. This was a 3.6% increase from the 2,311,000 permit tons recorded in April and a 0.6% increase from the April final imports total of 2,380,000. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in May was 1,875,000, down 3.0% from the final imports total of 1,933,000 in April. For the first five months of 2023 (including May SIMA permits and April final imports), total and finished steel imports were 12,288,000 NT and 9,465,000 NT, down 12.0% and 15.7%, respectively, from the same period in 2022. The estimated finished steel import market share in May was 21% and is 22% year-to-date (YTD).

Steel imports with large increases in May permits vs. April final imports include cut lengths plates (up 70%), cold rolled sheets (up 54%), sheet and strip hot dipped galvanized (up 36%), structural pipe and tubing (up 28%) and hot rolled bars (up 28%). Products with significant year-to-date (YTD) increases vs. the same period in 2022 include standard rails (up 73%), oil country goods (up 46%), electrical sheet and strip (up 43%), line pipe (up 19%) and cut length plates (up 16%).

In May, the largest steel import permit applications were for Canada (627,000 NT, up 6% from April final), Brazil (311,000 NT, up 46%), Mexico (281,000 NT, down 20%), South Korea (171,000 NT, up 2%) and Japan (112,000 NT, down 13%). Through the first five months of 2023, the largest suppliers were Canada (3,012,000 NT, up 2%), Mexico (1,906,000 NT, down 22%) and Brazil (1,730,000 NT, up 28%).

*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.

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Contact: Lisa Harrison

202.452.7115 / [email protected]

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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