US hot rolled bar imports rise 10.9 percent in December

According to preliminary census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of hot rolled bars totaled 101,445 mt in December, up 10.9 percent from November but down 9.8 percent from December 2015 levels. By value, hot rolled bar imports totaled $77.8 million in December 2016, compared to $71.8 million in the previous month and $87.0 million in the same month last year.
 
The US imported the most hot rolled bar from Canada in December, with 34,273 mt, compared to 37,154 mt in November and 36,261 mt in December 2015. Other top sources of imported hot rolled bar in December include Japan, with 18,073 mt; France, with 12,267 mt; Germany with 7,007 mt; China, with 6,943 mt; and Mexico, with 6,860 mt.

 

For the full-year 2016, hot rolled bar imports to the US totaled 1,041,609 mt, down 20.6 percent from 2015. By value, US hot rolled bar imports in 2016 totaled $830.1 million, compared to $1.18 billion in 2015.