US steel import permit applications drop sharply in Apr 2015

Author: Paul Ploumis
11 May 2015 Last updated at 02:00:49 GMT
ALBANY (Scrap Monster): According to American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the steel import permit applications totaled 3.294 million NT in April this year, 12% lower when compared with the previous month. The steel import permit applications had totaled 3.761 million NT during March ‘15.

Import permit tonnage for finished steel in April was 2.761 million NT, down 13% from the final imports total of 3.186 million NT in March. For the first four months of 2015 (including April SIMA and March final), total and finished steel imports were 15.015 million NT and 12.248 million NT, respectively, up 12% and 26% from the same period in 2014. The estimated finished steel import market share in April was 31%.

Finished steel products that witnessed huge rise in April permits when compared with March final imports were: tool steel (up 72%), standard pipe (up 44%), cold rolled sheets (up 13%) and heavy structural shapes (up 11%).

The year-to-date permits that reported significant increases when compared with the same period a year ago were: line pipe (up 89%), heavy structural shapes (up 74%), standard pipe (up 53%), cut lengths plates (up 47%), plates in coils (up 31%), cold rolled sheets (up 29%), tin plate (up 28%), sheets and strip galvanized hot dipped (up 26%), oil country goods (up 24%), reinforcing bars (up 22%) and hot rolled sheets (up 15%).

The countries that topped the list in terms of largest finished steel import permit applications in April this year were: South Korea (459,000 NT, down 18% from March final), China (262,000 NT down 4%), Japan (194,000 NT, up 7%), Turkey (183,000, down 55%) and Germany (123,000 NT, down 5%).

The largest offshore suppliers during the initial four-month period of the year were: South Korea (2,338,000 NT, up 49% from the same period in 2014), Turkey (1,178,000 NT, up 93%) and China (983,000, up 1%).