The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) announced May steel import permit application figures based on data published by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) system.
According to the data, total U.S. steel import permit applications reached 1.996 million net tons (NT) in May. This represented a 0.7% increase compared to the 1.983 million tons recorded in April permit applications and a 6.5% increase compared to the preliminary April import volume of 1.874 million tons.
Finished steel import permits totaled 1.495 million tons in May, up 8.5% from the preliminary April import volume of 1.378 million tons. Finished steel imports were estimated to account for approximately 17% of the U.S. steel market in May, while the year-to-date share stood at around 16%.
Based on May SIMA permits and preliminary April import data, total U.S. steel imports during the first five months of 2026 amounted to 8.968 million tons, while finished steel imports reached 6.613 million tons. Compared to the same period of the previous year, total steel imports and finished steel imports declined by 27.5% and 27.7%, respectively.
By product category, the strongest month-on-month increases in May permit applications compared to preliminary April imports were recorded in hot-rolled sheet (+112%), tin-free steel (+92%), plate in coils (+40%), wire rod (+36%), and oil country tubular goods (OCTG) (+25%).
On a year-to-date basis, the most significant increases compared to the same period of 2025 were seen in standard rails (+69%), heavy structural sections (+53%), rebar (+19%), and electrical sheet and strip (+12%).
By country, the largest steel import permit applications in May were filed for imports from South Korea, Canada, Brazil, Vietnam, and Japan. Import permits from South Korea increased by 32% month on month to 385,000 tons, while permits from Canada declined by 5% to 256,000 tons. Imports from Brazil rose by 10% to 237,000 tons, imports from Vietnam increased by 18% to 145,000 tons, and imports from Japan surged by 67% to 124,000 tons.
For the first five months of 2026, the United States’ largest steel suppliers were South Korea, Canada, and Brazil. During this period, imports from South Korea increased by 23% to 1.558 million tons, while imports from Canada fell by 49% to 1.252 million tons and imports from Brazil declined by 46% to 1.167 million tons.