December US Steel Import Permits Rise 9% To 2.208M Tons—AISI

December US Steel Import Permits Rise 9% To 2.208M Tons—AISI. Staff Reporters Dow Jones MetalSource Steel News NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--U.S. steel import permit applications rose 9% to 2.208 million tons in December from November imports, the American Iron and Steel Institute said Thursday. Permits to import finished steel, a subset of total imports, fell 2% on the month, to 1.618 million tons, according to AISI's analysis of U.S. Commerce Department data. Finished steel imports as a percentage of the total U.S. steel market was estimated at 19% for December, and 22% for all of 2011. In December, the largest number of finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries was for South Korea, up 15% on the month at 222,000 tons; followed by Japan, up 13% at 130,000 tons; Turkey, up 319% at 100,000 tons; China, up 21% at 100,000 tons and Germany, up 19% at 76,000 tons. Finished steel import permits for major products for which demand rose on the month include reinforcing bar, up 101% from November, and coated metallic sheet and strip, up 45%. AISI's member companies represent about 80% of North American steel capacity.