Total primary aluminum imports of P1020 or greater purity fell 30.57% year on year in February to 106,096 mt, US Census Bureau data showed April 9.
Shipments of typically higher purity from further destinations like the UAE, India and Russia fell 85% year on year as logistical issues and regional tightness due to premiums persisted.The same data showed total primary aluminum imports under HTS code 7601 were 244,042 mt, down 6.66% year over year.
Shipments of P1020 or greater purity from Canada reached 95,101 mt, down 7.82% year on year but up almost 43% from January. Shipments by water from Quebec totaled 46,353 mt and Ontario totaled 1,499 mt by water as well.
Canadian P1020 imports accounted for just about 90% of US imports and 66.5% of the previous 10-year average for February.
Imports of ingots from Australia and New Zealand which usually supply the West Coast and South were down around 22% and 100%, respectively, year over year. New Zealand especially accounted for a large flow of high purity ingots, P0404, to the West Coast.
Exports of P1020 from British Columbia were only 2,834 mt, down almost 72% year over year as total exports from the province fell 53% overall during the same time period.
Canadian exports from Quebec by water ticked back up to total 46,353 mt, according to Canada Statistics.
Recent off-warrant stocks reporting by the London Metal Exchange showed a drop of 5% in February to 153,298.
The Platts US Midwest premium reached 22.10 cents/lb on April 9, a 35-month high.
Imports of value-added products such as billet, foundry alloys and slabs were up 26.98% year over year in February, as demand continued to firm. Shipments from Canada, UAE, Bahrain and Qatar rounded out the top four spots as February totaled 137,946 mt.
Canadian exports of billet and slabs to the US totaled 91,181 mt, up 62.44% year over year, as alloyed aluminum from Canada could flow into the US duty-free and wouldn't fall under the USTR quotas that were set for 2020.
Imports of billet from Russia fell to only 20 mt in February, down from 18,278 mt in January.
The Aluminum Association reported that shipments of extruded products in February totaled 411.6 million lb, down 4.7% month over month.
Platts US spot 6063 billet upcharge hit 21 cents/lb on April 1, a record high, and has held there since.
