According to delayed final census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of cut-length plate totaled 23,920 mt in December 2018, down 55.9 percent from November. By value, cut-length plate imports totaled $21.9 million in December 2018, compared to $45.7 million in the previous month.
The US imported the most cut-length plate from Ukraine in December, with 9,720 mt, compared to 13,301 mt in November. Other top sources of imported cut-length plate in December include Canada, with 5,795 mt; Mexico, with 2,209 mt; Belgium, with 1,151 mt; and Denmark, with 1,021 mt.
For the full-year 2018, US cut-length plate imports totaled 535,887 mt, down 21.9 percent from 2017 totals. By value, cut-length plate imports totaled $466.7 million in 2018, compared to $489.4 million in 2017.