According to preliminary census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of hot rolled sheet totaled 116,740 mt in October 2020, down 14.9 percent from September and down 19.5 percent from October 2019 levels. By value, HRC imports totaled $63.4 million in October 2020, compared to $70.8 million in the previous month and $88.7 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most HRC from Canada in October, with 65,051 mt, compared to 61,258 mt in September and 77,533 mt in October 2019. Other top sources of imported HRC in October include Japan, with 26,222 mt; Korea, with 13,052 mt; Netherlands, with 5,542 mt; and New Zealand, with 2,161 mt.