According to preliminary census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of hot rolled sheets totaled 176,154 mt in January 2018, up 27.1 percent from December and up 22.3 percent from January 2017 levels. By value, HRC imports totaled $112.9 million in January 2018, compared to $88.9 million in the previous month and $78.4 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most HRC from Canada in January, with 85,466 mt, compared to 86,214 mt in December and 82,523 mt in January 2017. Other top sources of imported HRC in January include Japan, with 29,724 mt; Turkey, with 15,173 mt; Mexico, with 11,303 mt; Korea, with 11,133 mt; and Serbia, with 7,658 mt.