According to export data from the US Department of Commerce, US exports of hot dipped galvanized sheets and strip totaled 81,391 mt in December, down 24.6 percent from November and down 8.9 percent from December 2016 levels. By value, HDG exports totaled $83.4 million in December, compared to $110.4 million in the previous month and $88.0 million the same month last year.
The US shipped the most HDG to Canada in December with 45,557 mt, compared to 62,369 mt in November and 43,906 mt in December 2016. Other top destinations included Mexico, with 33,024 mt; and Belgium, with 1,335 mt.
For the full-year 2017, US HDG exports totaled 1,322,580 mt, up 8.9 percent compared to 2016. By value, US HDG exports totaled $1.36 billion in 2017, compared to $1.18 billion in 2016.
The US shipped the most HDG to Canada in 2017, with 756,919 mt. Other top destinations included Mexico, with 537,627 mt; Italy, with 6,838 mt; Japan, with 5,864 mt; and China, with 5,721 mt.