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    January Prepainted Imports Up

    Written by Brett Linton


    January prepainted flat rolled steel imports increased over both the previous month and the same month one year prior. The four prepainted products tracked by Steel Market Update rose a combined 18,188 net tons (NT) or 86.6 percent over the previous month and were up 16,236 NT or 70.7 percent over January 2013 tonnage. In light of the “rumors” regarding possible dumping suits on coated steel you may want to pay special attention on galvanized and Galvalume data shown below.

    As you can see by our table below – prepainted cold rolled (CR) imports rose by 1,486 NT or 38.5 percent from December to January, above both the 3-month moving average (3MMA) and the 12-month moving average (12MMA) calculated through January. Compared to levels one year ago, prepainted CR imports were up 1,475 NT or 38.2 percent.

    Brett Linton

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