US steel production rises as Trump tariffs erode reliance on imports
US steel production rose 7 per cent year on year through July, with the country rising to be the world’s third-largest producer in 2025
Pacific Steel Group is building California’s first new steel mill in 50 years to satisfy a backlog of orders in a hungry construction industry that has relied on imports and out-of-state shipments.
The 400-employee mill in the desert town of Mojave about 547km (340 miles) southeast of San Francisco is just one beam in a nationwide trend.
US steel production has risen about 7 per cent year to date compared with the same period of 2025, according to a BNP Paribas calculation in late July.
Crude steel production already grew 3.1 per cent last year versus 2024 – to 82 million tonnes – according to the World Steel Association. The US ranked as the world’s No 3 producer after China and India last year, climbing from fourth in 2023 and 2024.
We’re in the construction business, so we already have a strong backlog of orders
Imports were hardly expected to compete with the Pacific Steel Group project, as the low-emission 380,000 tonne-per-year plant due to open next year already had a list of waiting rebar customers in the US construction sector, mill operations vice-president Mark Olson said.