According to final census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of merchant bar totaled 11,669 mt in October 2020, up 11.8 percent from September and up 30.0 percent from October 2019 levels. By value, merchant bar imports totaled $7.4 million in October 2020, compared to $6.2 million in the previous month and $6.4 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most merchant bar from Mexico in October, with 6,602 mt, compared to 6,468 mt in September and 4,882 mt in October 2019. Other top sources of imported merchant bar in October include Canada, with 4,452 mt.