The US steel industry has called on the Trump administration not to ease the Section 232 tariffs on steel and steel products.
The signatories to the relevant letter to the US President included, amongst others, the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) and the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).
As highlighted in the statement, the tariffs under Section 232 have strengthened local industry and given American steelmakers a competitive edge in the long term. However, industry associations have warned that ‘easing the tariffs now would jeopardise this progress’.
The statement was released against the backdrop of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington, where trade issues were among the items on the agenda.
The letter states that the steel tariffs imposed under Section 232 have proved to be a sound and effective trade policy: they have helped attract $47 billion in announced and realised investments, created thousands of jobs for Americans and expanded domestic production. At the same time, they have reduced the harmful surges in imports that had been undermining the industry for decades.
“Maintaining strong and predictable steel tariffs will provide the confidence the industry needs to continue investing, growing and producing steel in America,” the statement reads.
It should be noted that in August this year, the US increased its total steel imports by 3.4% compared with the previous month, to 2.34 million short tonnes. Compared with August 2026, the figure fell by 15.1%. In particular, imports of rolled steel for the period amounted to 1.6 million short tonnes of the total volume, rising by 2.2% month-on-month but falling by 18.5% year-on-year.
