Based on final Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the U.S. imported a total of 1,639,000 net tons (NT) of steel in November 2025, including 1,085,000 net tons (NT) of finished steel (down 5.2 percent and 18.7 percent, respectively, vs. October 2025). Total and finished steel imports are down 11.5 percent and 15.4 percent, respectively, year-to-date vs. 2024. Over the 12 month period December 2024 to November 2025, total and finished steel imports are down 10.5 percent and 13.3 percent, respectively, vs. the prior 12-month Based on the Commerce Department’s most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that steel import permit applications for the month of December totaled 1,670,000 net tons (NT). This was a 0.8 percent decrease from the 1,684,000 permit tons recorded in November and a 1.9 percent increase from the November final imports total of 1,639,000. Import permit tonnage for finished steel in December was 1,206,000, up 11.2 percent from the final imports total of 1,085,000 in November. Full year 2025 (including December SIMA permits), total and finished steel imports were 25,334,000 NT and 18,711,000 NT, down 12.2 percent and 16.8 percent, respectively, from the same period in 2024. The estimated finished steel import market share in December was 15 percent and is 18 percent for full year 2025.
Steel imports with large increases in December permits vs. November final imports include reinforcing bars (up 229 percent), wire rods (up 59 percent), plates in coils (up 38 percent), heavy structural shapes (up 36 percent) and hot rolled bars (up 29 percent). Products with a significant increase for the full year of 2025 vs. 2024 include stainless pipe and tube (up 34 percent), tin plate (up 24 percent), line pipe (up 17 percent), wire rods (up 14 percent) and oil country goods (up 14 percent).
In December, the largest steel import permit applications were for Brazil (227,000 NT, down 8 percent from November final imports), Canada (223,000 NT, down 13 percent), South Korea (205,000 NT, up 25 percent), Mexico (188,000 NT, up 14 percent) and Japan (80,000 NT, up 11 percent). For full year 2025, the largest suppliers were Canada (4,513,000 NT, down 31 percent), Brazil (4,095,000 NT, down 9 percent) and Mexico (2,874,000 NT, down 18 percent).
Published March 2026
