According to export data from the US Department of Commerce, US exports of cold finished bar totaled 7,392 mt in December 2018, down 9.5 percent from November and down 5.4 percent from December 2017 levels. By value, cold finished bar exports totaled $17.9 million in December, compared to $17.5 million in the previous month and $16.9 million in December 2017.
The US shipped the most cold finished bar to Mexico in December with 3,323 mt, compared to 3,518 mt in November and 2,161 mt in December 2017. Other top destinations included Canada, with 2,935 mt. There were no other significant destinations (1,000 mt or more) for US cold finished bar exports in December.
As for the full-year 2018, US cold finished bar exports totaled 113,766 mt, up 1.4 percent from 2017 totals. By value, cold finished bar exports totaled $249.7 million in 2018, compared to $236.6 million in 2017.