According to final census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of hot rolled bar totaled 57,430 mt in December 2019, down 15.9 percent from November and down 12.0 percent from December 2018 levels. By value, hot rolled bar imports totaled $50.2 million in December 2019, compared to $59.2 million in the previous month and $62.3 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most hot rolled bar from Canada in December, with 22,327 mt, compared to 21,351 mt in November and 25,655 mt in December 2018. Other top sources of imported hot rolled bar in December include Japan, with 8,623 mt; France, with 8,574 mt; Germany, with 3,805 mt; and China, with 3,343 mt.