According to final census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of hot rolled bar totaled 56,028 mt in January 2020, down 2.4 percent from December and down 28.9 percent from January 2019 levels. By value, hot rolled bar imports totaled $48.8 million in January 2020, compared to $50.2 million in the previous month and $78.1 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most hot rolled bar from Canada in January, with 26,487 mt, compared to 22,327 mt in December and 25,855 mt in January 2019. Other top sources of imported hot rolled bar in January include Japan, with 12,148 mt; Mexico, with 3,772 mt; Korea, with 2,638 mt; and France, with 2,439 mt.