What is the current tariff on steel imports?

As of June 2025, the United States has a 50% tariff on steel imports.

How much steel and aluminum does the U.S. produce?

In 2025, the United States produced 82 million metric tons of raw steel and 660,000 metric tons of primary aluminum.

How much steel does the U.S. produce vs. import?

In 2025, the United States produced 82 million metric tons of raw steel and imported around 23 million metric tons.

Steel and Aluminum Tariffs: U.S. Imports and Exports

60% U.S. aluminum consumption relies on imports, as does 13% of steel use.

By Jack Caporal – Updated Mar 10, 2025 at 2:31 PM EST | Fact-checked by Margo Winton Parodi

Key Points

U.S. raised tariffs on imported steel and aluminum to 50% in 2025, impacting costs.
Canada is the main source of U.S. steel and aluminum imports, critical for supply.
Higher tariffs may lead to increased U.S. production but require extensive investment.

Steel and aluminum are foundational commodities that underpin large sectors of the economy, from transportation and construction to consumer staples and energy. The United States has historically relied on some imports of steel and aluminum to keep pace with demand. In 2025, 60% of U.S. aluminum consumption was from imports, and 13% of steel use was from imported steel.

However, in March 2025, a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports and derivative products was implemented. The tariffs were then doubled to 50% in June 2025.

The Motley Fool has compiled data on steel and aluminum imports to help investors understand exposure, risks, and potential opportunities that come with the tariffs.

Where does the U.S. import steel from?

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Canada is the top source of U.S. steel imports, followed by Mexico, Brazil, South Korea, and Japan.

The United States imported 4 million metric tons of steel from Canada in 2025, roughly 18% of its total steel imports that year. Brazil accounted for 3.7 million metric tons, or about 16% of all imports. Mexico exported 2.4 million metric tons of steel to the U.S., 11% of U.S. steel imports.

Steel imports from Canada have hovered between 4 million and 6 million metric tons for over a decade, while imports from Mexico have stayed between around 2.5 million and 4.5 million metric tons.

Steel imports from China peaked in 2014 at 2.9 million metric tons and have since declined rapidly due to U.S. tariffs and trade remedies targeting Chinese dumping and subsidies. Steel from China accounted for 1.8% of all U.S. steel imports in 2025, down from 8% in 2014.

Where does the U.S. import aluminum from?

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Canada is the top source of U.S. aluminum imports, followed by the UAE, Bahrain, and China.

The U.S. imported 2.4 million metric tons of aluminum from Canada in 2025, roughly 46% of total U.S. aluminum imports that year. Since 2010, Canadian aluminum has accounted for between 40% and 60%, roughly, of U.S. aluminum imports.

The UAE is a distant second, supplying about 560,000 metric tons of aluminum to the United States, around 10% of U.S. imports.

Chinese aluminum imports have fallen by two-thirds since they peaked at 643,000 metric tons in 2017. The U.S. imported about 133,000 metric tons of aluminum from China in 2024, about 2% of its total aluminum imports.

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How much steel does the U.S. produce?

The United States produced 82 million metric tons of raw steel in 2025, up from 72.7 million metric tons in 2020. The United States is the third-largest producer of raw steel in the world, behind China (980 million metric tons) and India (160 million metric tons).

How much aluminum does the U.S. produce?

The United States produced 660,000 metric tons of primary aluminum in 2025, down 16 thousand metric tons from 2024. China is the world’s largest producer of aluminum by far. China pumped out 45 million metric tons of aluminum in 2025. India was a distant second, producing 4.2 million metric tons of aluminum that year.

Notably, the United States has the capacity to produce 1.31 million metric tons of aluminum but is using roughly half of it. Just two companies -- Alcoa (AA +0.40%) and Century Aluminum (CENX +0.71%) -- are currently producing primary aluminum in the United States across four smelters.

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What investors should know about steel and aluminum tariffs

President Trump has announced a 25% tariff on foreign steel and aluminum, as well as derivative products, beginning in March 2025, and then a hike to 50% in June 2025. Unlike the steel and aluminum tariffs imposed in 2018, there will be no product exclusions, and the product scope is broader. Prior exemption agreements the United States struck with many major steel- and aluminum-exporting countries will be terminated.

Steel and aluminum producers in the United States could stand to benefit from the tariffs -- data shows that U.S. steel and aluminum production increased in 2018 and 2019 when tariffs on those products were in effect. However, there is limited upside given that adding new production capacity to offset higher-priced imports, particularly steel production, would take massive investments and years of infrastructure and talent development.

There is also a risk of foreign retaliatory tariffs, as occurred the last time steel and aluminum tariffs were put in place. That could pose a risk to other sectors of the U.S. economy. Studying which U.S. products major steel and aluminum exporters targeted in response to the previous tariffs would be instructive for investors.

Sources

U.S. International Trade Commission (2026). “Aluminum Import Monitor.”
U.S. International Trade Commission (2026). “Steel Import Monitor.”
U.S. Geological Survey (2026). “Aluminum Statistics and Information.”
U.S. Geological Survey (2026). “Iron and Steel Statistics and Information.”

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FAQs

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About the Author

Jack Caporal is the Research Director for The Motley Fool and Motley Fool Money. Jack leads efforts to identify and analyze trends shaping investing and personal financial decisions across the United States. His research has appeared in thousands of media outlets including Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, Bloomberg, and CNBC, and has been cited in congressional testimony. He previously covered business and economic trends as a reporter and policy analyst in Washington, D.C. He serves as Chair of the Trade Policy Committee at the World Trade Center in Denver, Colorado. He holds a B.A. degree in International Relations with a concentration in International Economics from Michigan State University.

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