The permits for finished steel and total steel in April decreased compared with the previous month, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).
Citing figures from the latest Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data released by the US Department of Commerce, AISI indicated that total steel import permits in April totaled 2.45mn nt (2.22mn mt), down 9.9pc from 2.72mn nt worth of permits in the previous month. Permits in April i6.3pc from March’s final imports.
Finished steel permits decreased by 9.5pc in April to 1.62mn nt compared with final imports total of 1.79mn nt in March.
From Jan-Apr, AISI indicated the total steel imports fell 1.2pc to 9.08mn nt compared with the same period in 2020, while finished steel imports increased 4.5pc to 6.08mn nt during the same timeframe.
The most sought-after finished steel imports in April compared with the previous month include heavy structural shapes, up 62pc; plates in coils, up 44pc; tool steel, up 33pc; and cut lengths plates up 24pc.
Compared with Jan-Apr 2020, steel piling increased 196pc; cut lengths plates rose 36pc; sheet and strip all other metallic coatings jumped 31pc; hot rolled sheets were up 25pc; plates in coils rose 21pc; tin plate, moved up 16pc; reinforcing bars increased 11pc and wire drawn was up 10pc in the same period this year were the most sought after finished steel products.
In April, South Korea remains the most sought-after destination for finished steel imports, down 10pc to 215,000nt compared with March, followed by Japan, down 4pc to 82,000nt; Germany, down 25pc to 62,000nt; Turkey, up 38pc to 59,000nt; and Brazil, up 282pc to 48,000nt.
South Korea also continues to be the largest offshore steel provider for the first four months of 2021, with shipments from this destination totaling 816,000nt, signaling a 15pc increase; followed by Japan at 300,000nt, up 11pc; and Germany flat at 232,000nt, all compared with the first four months of 2020.