According to delayed final census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of hot rolled sheets totaled 185,660 mt in January 2019, up 11.7 percent from December and up 5.4 percent from January 2018 levels. By value, HRC imports totaled $134.4 million in January 2018, compared to $124.2 million in the previous month and $112.9 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most HRC from Canada in January, with 82,956 mt, compared to 67,574 mt in December and 85,466 mt in January 2018. Other top sources of imported HRC in January include Korea, with 23,383 mt; Japan, with 19,025 mt; Mexico, with 17,173 mt; South Africa, with 10,362 mt; and Netherlands, with 7,922 mt.