USA. Steel import permits down three percent in October

USA. Steel import permits down three percent in October. Based on the Commerce Department’s most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that steel import permit applications for October totaled 2,192,000 net tons (NT), with a 3% decrease from the 2,269,000 permit tons recorded in September and a 2 % decrease from the September preliminary imports total of 2,238,000 NT. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in October was 1,819,000 NT, up 9 percent from the preliminary imports total of 1,662,000 NT in September. Year-to date (YTD) 2011 total and finished steel import permit tons would annualize at 28,989,000 NT and 22,203,000 NT, up 21 percent and 18 percent, respectively, vs. the 23,929,000 NT and 18,857,000 NT imported in 2010. The estimated finished steel import market share in October was 22 percent and is 22 percent year-to-date.