According to export data from the US Department of Commerce, US exports of cut-length plate totaled 60,989 mt in December 2018, down 13.1 percent from November and down 30.1 percent from December 2017 levels. By value, cut-length plate exports totaled $70.9 million in December, compared to $80.9 million in the previous month and $77.4 million the same month last year.
The US shipped the most cut-length plate to Mexico in December with 33,678 mt, compared to 38,091 mt in November and 33,246 mt in December 2017. Other top destinations included Canada, with 18,830 mt; China, with 3,266 mt; Sweden, with 1,800 mt; and Brazil, with 1,038 mt.
As for the full-year 2018, US cut-length plate exports totaled 860,269 mt, down 20.8 percent from 2017 totals. By value, cut-length plate exports totaled $921.7 million in 2018, compared to $1.02 billion in 2017.