According to preliminary census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of slab totaled 717,744 mt in January 2021, up 898.4 percent from December but down 26.6 percent from January 2020 levels. By value, slab imports totaled $330.3 million in January 2021, compared to $33.8 million in the previous month and $432.5 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most slab from Brazil in January, with 548,593 mt, compared to zero tonnage in December and 810,926 mt in January 2020. Other top sources of imported slab in January include Mexico, with 94,922 mt; Russia, with 44,556 mt; Canada, with 26,859 mt; and Japan, with 2,814 mt.