According to preliminary census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of hot rolled sheet totaled 120,366 mt in January 2021, down 18.9 percent from December and down 22.9 percent from January 2020 levels. By value, HRC imports totaled $85.5 million in January 2021, compared to $94.3 million in the previous month and $85.9 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most HRC from Canada in January, with 91,828 mt, compared to 86,762 mt in December and 114,801 mt in January 2020. Other top sources of imported HRC in January include Korea, with 24,184 mt; and Japan, with 2,364 mt.