Posted on 09 Jun 2025
The United States imported 157,789 tonnes of finished steel products from China during the first four months of this year, marking a 25% year-on-year increase, according to data released on June 5 by the U.S. Census Bureau under the Department of Commerce (DoC).
In April alone, imports from China surged to 43,598 tonnes, up 29% year-on-year and 72.2% month-on-month, the data showed.
This surge in arrivals of China-origin steel came despite a broader decline in total U.S. steel imports. In April, the country's overall imports fell sharply to 1.89 million tonnes, down 17% from March and 25.8% lower than the same month in 2024.
The sharp drop was largely attributed to Washington's reimposition of 25% tariffs under Section 232 on steel and aluminum products from multiple regions, which took effect on March 12, market sources noted.
Market sentiment deteriorated further after President Donald Trump's April 2 announcement of sweeping new tariffs on almost all U.S. trading partners. While those "reciprocal tariffs" excluded steel and aluminum, the move heightened uncertainty, with insiders warning that Trump could again target global steel and aluminum imports.
Those concerns were validated just days ago when Trump announced on June 2 that he would double the existing 25% steel tariff to 50%, effective June 4 - escalating fears of another round of trade disruptions.
Ironically, the threat of higher tariffs may have contributed to the import surge, as Chinese steel traders rushed to ship material to the U.S. ahead of the new duties. In their haste, many Chinese suppliers cut export prices to secure orders, further fueling import volumes, according to market participants.
As a result, the average unit price of Chinese steel imported into the U.S. in April fell sharply to $1,355.5/tonne, down 22% from $1,735.1/tonne in March, based on Mysteel Global's calculations using DoC data.
Source:Mysteel Global
