According to delayed final census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of wire rod totaled 94,766 mt in December 2018, down 6.9 percent from November but up 26.5 percent from December 2017 levels. By value, wire rod imports totaled $67.7 million in December 2018, compared to $77.3 million in the previous month and $48.3 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most wire rod from Canada in December, with 20,929 mt, compared to 25,062 mt in November and 25,118 mt in December 2017. Other top sources of imported wire rod in December include Venezuela, with 20,808 mt; Japan, with 13,769 mt; Vietnam, with 10,150 mt; Germany, with 8,965 mt; and Australia, with 8,540 mt.
For the full-year 2018, US wire rod imports totaled 1,018,968 mt, down 27.6 percent from 2017 totals. By value, wire rod imports totaled $749.5 million in 2018, compared to $836.4 million in 2017.