Where does the US get its steel and aluminum from?

By Reuters

February 11, 20251:00 PM GMT+5Updated an hour ago

While China is the world’s largest steel producer and exporter, very little is sent to the United States. Tariffs of 25% imposed in 2018 shut most Chinese steel out of the market.

China exported 508,000 net tons of steel to the U.S. last year or 1.8% of total American steel imports.

Coils of rolled steel sit in an industrial yard with transmission towers and smokestacks in the background at dusk in Hamilton

Bar chart showing US steel imports by country of origin

Aluminum

In the case of aluminum, the U.S. is more heavily reliant on imports. Roughly half of all aluminum used in the U.S. is imported, The vast majority comes from neighbour Canada. At 3.2 million tons last year, Canadian imports were twice those of the next nine countries combined.

The next largest sources of imports are the United Arab Emirates and China, at 347,034 and 222,872 metric tons, respectively.

The U.S. aluminum smelting industry is small by global standards. Total smelter capacity in the country was just 1.73% of the global total according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Bar chart showing U.S. aluminum imports by country

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Reporting by Amy Lv and Lewis Jackson in Beijing, Neha Arora in New Delhi, Francesco Guarascio in Hanoi, Hyunjoo Jin in Seoul; Editing by Michael Perry and Clarence Fernandez

Chart: Canada Most Affected by Trump Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum | Statista

Source :

Reuters