Steel exports reach 17-month high in June

US steel exports recovered 7% in June, according to recently released US Department of Commerce figures, marking the highest monthly rate recorded since January 2025.

Despite the recoveries seen over the last six months, trade has been historically weak for over a year and remains weak compared to 2022-24 volumes.

The amount of steel shipped outside of the country totaled 710,000 short tons (st) in June. This rate was 15% higher than the same month in 2025 and 14% higher than the average monthly export rate of the past 12 months. However, trade was down 8% compared to June 2024, 21% lower than June 2023, and 11% lower than June 2022.

For context, exports fell to a five-year low last December (469,000 st) and touched a near-five-year high in May 2023 (914,000 st).

Over 90% of our exports are shipped to United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trading partners. In June, Mexico received 65% of total US exports, while Canada received 30%. Other notable destinations (each accounting for less than 1% of trade) included China, the Bahamas, India, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Chile, South Korea, Australia, Pakistan, and Japan. To further explore export data by specific country or product, visit the International Trade Administration’s Steel Mill Export Monitor.

To better highlight trends, exports can be analyzed on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis to smooth short-term fluctuations (Figure 2, left). From this view, exports began trending lower in late 2024 and dipped to a five-year low of 552,000 st in January of this year. Volumes have recovered each month since, with June up to a 14-month high of 681,000 st.

Exports can be annualized on a 12-month moving average (12MMA) basis to eliminate seasonal variations (Figure 2, right). From this annualized perspective, trade has weakened following the early 2024 peak and is nearing lows last seen in 2019-21. The 12MMA recently declined to a five-year low of 607,000 st in March. It has marginally recovered each of the last three months, rising to 625,000 st through June.

Improvements in sheet and plate products

Four of the six flat-rolled steel products we track increased from May to June, while one held steady and one declined. Most products have significantly recovered from the historical lows seen late last year, and all but one are higher than year-ago levels. Notable highlights include:

Plate-cut-length exports rose 8% month over month (m/m) to a nine-month high of 89,000 st.
Coiled plate exports jumped 18% m/m to a four-year high of 56,000 st.
Hot-rolled exports surged 30% m/m to a 17-month high of 68,000 st.
Cold-rolled exports rose 13% m/m to a 20-month high of 84,000 st.
Galvanized exports were flat m/m, holding at one of the higher rates recorded in the past 15 months.
Other-metallic coated exports slipped 15% m/m to a four-month low.

SMU members can access historical trade figures on the Steel Exports page of our website.

Brett Linton

Brett Linton is a digital operations analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.