According to preliminary census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of hot rolled bar totaled 115,452 mt in January 2018, up 23.4 percent from December and up 26.5 percent from January 2017 levels. By value, hot rolled bar imports totaled $97.6 million in January 2018, compared to $84.4 million in the previous month and $69.8 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most hot rolled bar from Canada in January, with 34,932 mt, compared to 37,142 mt in December and 39,947 mt in January 2017. Other top sources of imported hot rolled bar in January include Romania, with 22,265 mt; Japan, with 17,122 mt; China, with 9,691 mt; Brazil, with 8,907 mt; and France, with 5,297 mt.