According to preliminary census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of slab totaled 320,243 mt in March 2021, up 17.9 percent from February and up 1,443.4 percent from March 2020 levels. By value, slab imports totaled $198.1 million in March 2021, compared to $143.2 million in February and $8.6 million in March 2020.
The US imported the most slab from Brazil in March, with 100,086 mt, compared to 129,628 mt in February and zero tonnage in March 2020. Other top sources of imported slab in March include Mexico, with 94,565 mt; Russia, with 90,647 mt; and Canada, with 34,944 mt.