According to delayed final census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of hot dipped galvanized sheets and strip totaled 177,894 mt in December 2018, down 15.1 percent from November and down 5.8 percent from December 2017 levels. By value, HDG imports totaled $177.8 million in December 2018, compared to $211.1 million in the previous month and $171.8 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most HDG from Canada in December, with 61,755 mt, compared to 70,984 mt in November and 65,903 mt in December 2017. Other top sources of imported HDG in December include Vietnam, with 19,228 mt; Mexico, with 14,665 mt; Korea, with 13,325 mt; Brazil, with 12,748 mt; and Taiwan, with 9,071 mt.
For the full-year 2018, US HDG imports totaled 2,755,255 mt, down 11.2 percent from 2017 totals. By value, HDG imports totaled $2.66 billion, compared to $2.74 billion in 2017.