Market Segment
August 28, 2026
Written by Michael Cowden
The United Steelworkers (USW) union said it remains “very far apart” with U.S. Steel on the terms of a new labor contract.
That matters because we’re just days away from Sept. 1, when the current four-year labor contract between the union and the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker expires.
Shipbuilding is set to return to Sparrows Point, Md. President Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced plans to develop a new shipbuilding facility at the site called Arsenal-2. The 2-million-square-foot facility sitting on an 187-acre site will manufacture critical components for the Virginia-class submarine.
The Department of Commerce is adjusting the countervailing duties (CVDs) on imports of hot-rolled steel flat products from two South Korean producers. The agency released the final results of its administrative review for calendar year 2023, finding a lower rate for Hyundai but a higher rate for POSCO.
President Trump’s senior counsel for trade and manufacturing, Peter Navarro, has criticized South Korea for subsidized and transshipped steel. “South Korea is inundating the U.S. with highly subsidized steel and steel transshipped from China,” Navarro wrote in a post on X. “We are cracking down." In comments to C-SPAN, Navarro pointed to the White House’s recent report, the Great Transshipment Scam.
Steel imports into the US crept higher in August and continued climbing in September, according to the Department of Commerce's latest import license data. August imports rose 3.4% from July to a 15-month high. September license data collected through Oct. 5 shows another 6.2% month-on-month increase. Imports continue to recover from some of the lowest levels since 2020, seen late last year through February this year.
Nucor plans to invest $105 million to expand production at its utility towers and structures plant in Crawfordsville, Ind.