According to preliminary census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of plates in coil totaled 85,991 mt in December 2019, up 41.6 percent from November but down 5.6 percent from December 2018 levels. By value, plates in coil imports totaled $50.0 million in December 2019, compared to $36.7 million in the previous month and $71.9 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most plates in coil from Canada in December, with 59,845 mt, compared to 41,828 mt in November and 47,478 mt in December 2018. Other top sources of imported plates in coil in December include Netherlands, with 11,024 mt; Germany, with 5,443 mt; New Zealand, with 3,289 mt; and Korea, with 1,779 mt.