Steel Imports Balloon in January
By
Metal Center News Staff on
Mar 2, 2025
The U.S. imported 2.3 million tons of finished steel in January, up 26.5 percent compared with December and 20.3 percent compared with January 2024, the American Iron and Steel Institute reported. Total steel imports of 3.1 million tons were up 43.5 percent vs. December and 20.2 percent compared with the same month last year.
Finished steel import market share was an estimated 25 percent in January.
Key steel products with a significant import increase in January compared with December were heavy structural shapes, up 199 percent; rebar, up 191 percent; blooms, billets and slabs, up 143 percent; and OCTG products, up 121 percent.
In January, the largest suppliers were Canada at 649,000 tons, up 25 percent compared with December; Brazil at 585,000 tons, up 414 percent; Mexico at 474,000 tons, up 44 percent; and South Korea at 326,000 tons, up 56 percent.