Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the U.S. imported a total of 3,065,000 net tons (NT) of steel in January 2025, including 2,305,000 NT of finished steel (up 43.5 percent and 26.5 percent, respectively, vs. December 2024). Total and finished steel imports are up 20.2 percent and 20.3 percent, respectively, vs. January 2024. Over the 12-month period February 2024 to January 2025, total and finished steel imports are up 4.5 percent and 5.9 percent, respectively, vs. the prior 12-month period. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 25 percent in January 2025.
Key steel products with a significant import increase in January compared to December are heavy structural shapes (up 199 percent), reinforcing bars (up 191 percent), blooms, billets and slabs (up 143 percent), oil country goods (up 121 percent) and line pipe (up 84 percent). Products with a significant increase in imports over the 12-month period February 2024 to January 2025 compared to the previous 12-month period include tin plate (up 45 percent), sheets and strip all other metallic coated (up 40 percent), sheets and strip hot dipped galvanized (up 35 percent), cold rolled sheets (up 27 percent) and wire rods (22 percent).
In January, the largest suppliers were Canada (649,000 NT, up 25 percent vs. December), Brazil (585,000 NT, up 414 percent), Mexico (470,000 NT, up 44 percent), South Korea (326,000 NT, up 56 percent) and Japan (97,000 NT, up 29 percent). Over the 12-month period February 2024 to January 2025, the largest suppliers were Canada (6,579,000 NT, down 5 percent vs, compared to the previous 12-months), Brazil (4,615,000 NT, up 15 percent), Mexico (3,591,000 NT, down 13 percent), South Korea (2,940,000 NT, up 9 percent) and Vietnam (1,333,000 NT, up 119 percent). Below are charts on steel imports by country and estimated finished steel import market share in recent months.
Published April 2025
