Steel Import Market Share Is 28% in July
WASHINGTON -- Steel import permit applications for July totaled 3.781 million net tons, the American Iron and Steel Institute reports, a 1% increase from the 3.732 million permit tons recorded in June and a 5% increase from the June preliminary imports total of 3.586 million tons.
Import permit tonnage for finished steel in July was 2.952 million, up 9% from the preliminary imports total of 2.706 million in June.
For the first seven months of the year, total and finished steel imports were 24.863 million net tons and 18.504 million net tons, respectively, up 36% and 29% from the same period in 2013. The estimated finished steel import market share in July was 28% and is 27% year-to-date.
Finished steel imports with large increases in July permits versus the June preliminary included plates in coils (up 102%), standard rails (up 69%), sheet and strip all other metallic coatings (up 47%), heavy structural shapes (up 35%), line pipe (up 33%), hot rolled sheets (up 21%) and hot rolled bars (up 15%).
Products with significant year-to-date increases compared to the the same period in 2013 include plates in coils (up 85%), wire rods (up 79%), cold rolled sheets (up 74%), sheets and strip hot-dipped galvanized (up 59%), sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 53%), cut lengths plates (up 47%), hot rolled sheets (up 40%), mechanical tubing (up 38%), heavy structural shapes (up 37%), oil country goods (up 31%) and reinforcing bar (up 14%).
In July, the largest finished steel import permit applications for offshore countries were for South Korea (537,000 net tons, up 18% from June preliminary), China (257,000 net tons, up 12%), Russia (210,000 net tons, up 119%), Japan (180,000 nettons, up 30%) and Taiwan (98,000 net tons, up 15%). Through the first seven months, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (3.147 million net tons, up 53% from the same period in 2013), China (1.775 million net tons, up 65%) and Japan (1.170 million net tons, up 6%).
The American Iron and Steel Institute is composed of 22 member companies, which include integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and approximately 125 associate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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