According to preliminary census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of hot rolled sheets totaled 223,087 mt in March 2018, up 41.9 percent from February and up 43.9 percent from March 2017 levels. By value, HRC imports totaled $151.6 million in March 2018, compared to $104.4 million in the previous month and $96.2 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most HRC from Canada in March, with 104,799 mt, compared to 74,737 mt in February and 78,371 mt in March 2017. Other top sources of imported HRC in March include Korea, with 41,090 mt; Japan, with 22,153 mt; Mexico, with 17,131 mt; Turkey, with 16,780 mt; and Germany, with 6,585 mt.