According to preliminary census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of hot rolled sheet totaled 141,768 mt in January 2017, down 3.5 percent from December and down 56.4 percent from January 2016 levels. By value, HRC imports totaled $76.9 million in January 2017, compared to $80.4 million in the previous month and $137.3 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most HRC from Canada in January, with 82,523 mt, compared to 64,315 mt in December and 65,185 mt in January 2016. Other top sources of imported HRC in January include Japan, with 20,295 mt; Mexico, with 15,347 mt; Korea, with 7,872 mt; Egypt, with 6,016 mt; and Turkey, with 4,916 mt.