Based on the latest Department of Commerce Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reports that steel import permit applications for March totalled 2,705,000 net tons (NT)*. This represents an increase of 23.1% over the 2,198,000 declaration tons recorded in February and 18.2% from the total conclusive imports for February of 2,289,000.

Permits to import final steel products in March amounted to 1,943,000 tons, up 11.1% from total final imports of 1,749,000 tons in February.

For the first three months of 2023 (including March SIMA permits and February final imports), steel and finished steel products imports were 7,603,000 NT and 5,693,000 NT, down 10.4% and 14.0%, respectively, from the same period in 2022.

The import market share in March was 22% and 23% year-to-date.

In March, the most significant steel import permit applications were from Canada (636,000 NT, up 18% from the February finale), Brazil (509,000 NT, up 44%), Mexico (435,000 NT, up 14%), and South Korea (179,000 NT, up by 21%) and Japan (124,000 NT, up 129%).

During the first three months of 2023, the most extensive suppliers were Canada (1,767,000 NT, up 4%), Mexico (1,272,000 NT, down by 18%) and Brazil (1,257,000 NT, an increase of 27%).

* Note that import permit data are the number of tons required in applications for licenses to import steel products, not actual import volumes.