According to delayed final census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of hot rolled sheets totaled 133,382 mt in February 2019, down 28.2 percent from January and down 15.1 percent from February 2018 levels. By value, HRC imports totaled $96.5 million in February 2018, compared to $134.4 million in the previous month and $104.4 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most HRC from Canada in February, with 51,338 mt, compared to 82,956 mt in January and 74,737 mt in February 2018. Other top sources of imported HRC in February include Korea, with 34,634 mt; Japan, with 22,957 mt; Mexico, with 5,366 mt; Germany, with 3,826 mt; and Netherlands, with 3,647 mt.