According to the customs statistics, China's hot rolled coil (HRC) imports in December 2009 came to 238,300 mt, up 137,800 mt or 137.25 percent year on year, totaling a value of $185 million, up $85 million or 84.55 percent compared with the same month of the previous year. The average HRC import price in December was $776/mt. Total HRC imports in 2009 reached 4.4 million mt, up 2.61 million mt or 145.42 percent, amounting to $2.81 billion in value, up $799 million or 39.71 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, China's HRC export volume in December last year stood at 820,900 mt, up 481,100 mt or 141.6 percent year on year, totaling a value of $443 million, up $138 million or 44.98 percent compared with December 2008. The average export price during the month was $540/mt. Total HRC exports in 2009 reached 3.77 million mt, down 6.78 million mt or 64.28 percent, amounting to a value of $2.24 billion, down $7.31 billion or 76.59 percent year on year.