According to preliminary census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of slabs totaled 602,415 mt in January this year, up 68.5 percent month on month and up 18.9 percent from January last year. By value, the slab imports totaled $362.9 million in January this year, compared to $97.2 million in December and $326.9 million in January 2024.
The US imported the most slab from Brazil in January with 420,761 mt, compared to 45,565 mt in December and 326,162 mt in January 2024. Other top sources of imported slabs in January included Mexico with 144,035 mt and Canada with 33,114 mt.