US steel production surpasses Japan for first time since 1999 amid tariffs

U.S. steel production surpassed Japan last year for the first time since 1999 amid President Trump's tariffs.

U.S. crude steel output increased to 3.1% in 2025, to 82 million tons, according to the World Steel Association, putting the country in third place globally, behind China and India, Newsmax reported.

The increased production comes as Trump placed 50% tariffs on imported steel and aluminum last year.

Steel prices have also increased as a result of the tariffs.

Hot-rolled steel coils, used in manufacturing and construction, reached $983 a ton as of Jan. 12, the highest level since last May and nearly double the global export price, according to pricing tool SteelBenchmarker.com. Since last January, prices are up about 30%.

Amid the higher prices, U.S. domestic steel shipments increased 5% year-on-year in November, according to data from the American Iron and Steel Institute.

The demand for steel comes from data centers and power generation facilities, which have surged as tech companies race to build the infrastructure needed to support artificial intelligence.

According to the Commerce Department, private-sector spending on data center construction more than doubled in the two years through last January.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Nippon Steel completed its $14.1 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel last June, with plans to pour billions more into American operations to mass-produce high-grade steel tailored for data centers and other advanced applications.

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