- U.S. H1 steel imports fell 22.8% year-on-year.
- South Korea became largest U.S. steel import supplier.
Steel imports by the United States of America totaled 10.26 million tonnes (mnt) in this year’s January-June half, marking an on-year decline of 22.8%, according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau under the Department of Commerce (DoC).
The steep drop underscores the ongoing impact of protectionist trade measures on one of the world’s largest steel-consuming markets, Mysteel Global notes.
President Trump doubled tariffs on steel imports to 50% in June last year, a move aimed at further shielding the domestic industry from foreign competition. That has since deterred some American buyers from importing steel products, according to industry sources.
The policy has fundamentally altered the landscape of steel trade in the US, with H1 total import volumes falling by more than 3 million tonnes compared with the same period a year earlier.
Among all trading partners, the decline in steel imports from Canada was the most significant in H1, with the import volume falling to 1.43 mnt, a 44% plunge from 2.55 mnt in H1 2025, according to DoC figures. Canada had long been the largest foreign supplier of steel to the United States.
While the overall trend points sharply downward, not all suppliers saw reduced volumes. South Korea emerged as the largest source of U.S. steel imports in H1 at roughly 1.81 mnt, jumping 37.4% from the same period last year, an increase that partially offset declines from other regions.
Total U.S. steel imports in June amounted to around 1.91 mnt, down 3.8% on month and 6.6% on year, the DoC statistics show. The monthly figure extended the downward trajectory that has persisted since the tariff took effect.
In June, US steel imports from Brazil, Japan and China posted the most significant on-month declines. Imports from Brazil totaled 221,881 tonnes (t), down significantly by 26% from May, the DoC data suggest. Those from Japan reached 97,845 t, a 23.9% plunge from May. Imports from China stood at 34,773 t, representing a slump of 42.7% on month – the sharpest percentage decline among the three.
The most notable increases in US steel shipments came from Australia, South Korea and Canada, the DoC notes. Supplies from Australia surged to 41,700 t, skyrocketing by 18,769% on month, rebounding from an extremely low base of just 221 t in May. Imports from South Korea totaled 382,499 t, up 5.6% from the prior month. Imports from Canada reached 266,719 t, up 4.3%, the data show.
Note: This article is published as part of a content exchange agreement between Mysteel Global and BigMint.
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