Aluminum Imports Rising, CRS Notes

The Congressional Research Service described how the Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis system and the newer Aluminum Import Monitoring system have functioned in recent years. The report, published last week, noted that SIMA was updated in 2020 so that importers have to disclose where a semi-finished product or a finished steel product was melted and poured.

"For example, if the United States imports certain steel products from a Mexican mill, the country of origin may be Mexico, where the product was manufactured; however, where the products were melted and poured could include other countries, such as Brazil or Russia, among others," the report said.

The AIM system began in June 2021, and it, too, goes deeper into the supply chain than the country where the product is coming from. "Specifically, importers and customs brokers must identify the largest and second-largest country, in terms of volume, of primary aluminum used in the manufacture of the imported aluminum product. The applicant must also identify the country where the imported aluminum product was most recently cast," the report said.

Both systems help the Commerce Department "to identify potential transshipment and circumvention of existing antidumping and countervailing duty orders." SIMA receives about 1,500 records a day, and AIM about 750 a day.

According to the report, imports account for about 54% of the U.S. aluminum market in 2022, up from 41% in 2021. For steel, imports covered 14% of U.S. consumption in 2022, almost unchanged from 2021.

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