U.S. Steel imports increase month over month in April

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has reported that the U.S. imported 1.87 million net tons (NT) of steel in April 2026, including 1.38 million NT of finished steel, based on preliminary Census Bureau data. These figures increased by 5.9 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively, from March.

Total and finished steel imports are down 29.5 percent and 30.5 percent, respectively, year to date compared with 2025, according to Washington-based AISI. Over the 12-month period May 2025 to April 2026, total and finished steel imports are down 21.5 percent and 25.8 percent, respectively, compared with the prior 12-month period.

Finished steel import market share was an estimated 16 percent in April and is estimated at 15 percent over the first four months of 2026.

Steel products imports that increased significantly in April compared with March are tin plate (up 126 percent), sheet and strip all other metallic coatings (up 56 percent), reinforcing bars (up 46 percent), cold-rolled sheets (up 39 percent) and hot-rolled bars (up 30 percent).

In April, the largest suppliers were South Korea (291,000 NT, unchanged from March), Canada (268,000 NT, down 6 percent), Brazil (215,000 NT, down 26 percent), Mexico (187,000 NT, up 33 percent) and Vietnam (123,000 NT, down 31 percent).

Over the 12-month period from May 2025 to April 2026, the largest suppliers were Canada (3.46 million NT, down 45 percent compared with the previous 12 months), Brazil (3.3 million NT, down 27 percent), South Korea (2.88 million NT, up 2 percent), Mexico (2.27 million NT, down 33 percent) and Vietnam (1.07 million NT, down 11 percent).