According to final census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of tool steel totaled 10,430 mt in December 2019, up 33.7 percent from November and up 2.7 percent from December 2018 levels. By value, tool steel imports totaled $24.2 million in December 2019, compared to $20.7 million in the previous month and $30.1 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most tool steel from Korea in December, with 3,291 mt, compared to 702 mt in November and zero tonnage in December 2018. Other top sources of imported tool steel in December include Japan, with 2,541 mt.