Steel imports dropped 25% in August.

The American Institute for Imported Steel also reported that steel imports fell 13.9% to 14.3 million tons in the first eight months of 1986, compared to the 16.6 million tons in the same period of last year. Steel imports in August totaled 1.5 million tons, down from 2.0 million in July. August’s imports from the European Communities and Japan were off 26.9% and 20.8%, respectively. The institute is composed of 70 steel importers in the United States who handle about 70% of the tonnage imported annually.