U.S. Iron & Steel Market Size & Share Analysis - Trends, Drivers, Competitive Landscape, and Forecasts (2025 - 2032)
This Report Provides In-Depth Analysis of the U.S. Iron & Steel Market Report Prepared by P&S Intelligence, Segmented by Product Type (Raw Materials, Semi-Finished Products, Finished Steel Products), Production Process (Primary Steelmaking, Secondary Refining & Casting, Finishing Processes), Customer Type (Original Equipment Manufacturers, Contractors & Fabricators, Distributors & Wholesalers, Government & Defense Contractors), End Use Industry (Construction & Infrastructure, Automotive & Transportation, Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Energy & Utilities, Consumer Goods & Appliances, Defense & Aerospace), Market Segment (Integrated Steel Producers, Mini Mills, Steel Service Centers & Distributors, Recycling & Scrap Processors, Importers & Traders), and Geographical Outlook for the Period of 2019 to 2032
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U.S. Iron & Steel Market Overview
The U.S. iron & steel market valued USD 91.1 billion in 2024, and this number is expected to increase to USD 109.7 billion by 2032, advancing at a CAGR of 2.5% during 2025–2032.
The growth is attributed to the increasing construction efforts, technological breakthroughs, and focus on sustainable manufacturing methods. Raw steel production in the country was 1.682 million net tons till April 2025, while the manufacturing sector operated at an 74.9% utilization rate. The Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act of 2021 could lead to the demand for around 50 million tons of steel products. This is reflected in the fact that finished steel imports increased by 26.5% from December 2024, reaching a 25% share in total consumption January 2025, as per the American Iron and Steel Institute.
U.S. Iron & Steel Market Dynamics
Rise of Green and Sustainable Steel Production Is a Key Trend
Iron & steel producers and users in the country are prioritizing sustainably manufactured products because of government regulations, environmental concerns, and evolving consumer demands.
Electric arc furnaces (EAF) and hydrogen-based direct-reduced iron process help reduce environmental footprint by lowering COâ‚‚ emissions.
The deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems to decarbonize BF-BOF facilities is encouraged by government funding.
Further sustainability is enabled by using green hydrogen, renewable electricity, and low-emission fuels, such as biochar instead of the conventional coke.
Reusing, recycling, and remanufacturing used steel and iron are other key steps that the players in the market are adopting.
Rising Demand from Construction and Automotive Sectors Drives Market
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) has planned funding of USD 1.2 trillion for infrastructure development during the upcoming decade.
This includes USD 248 billion for transportation, USD 55 billion for water, and USD 73 billion for energy infrastructure.
As per projections, every USD 100 billion in infrastructure investment could create a demand for 5 million tonnes of structural, specialty, and durable steel products.
Transportation infrastructure requires significant amounts of structural steel, rebars, beams, and wire rods for roads and bridges, railway lines, airports, and ports.
The renewable energy capacity increase and water system improvements are creating a high demand for specialty steel materials.
The changing transportation preferences drive automotive companies to use advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) and high-strength steel (HSS) for lighter, safer, and more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Lightweighting with AHSS and HSS enables EV manufacturers to neutralize battery weight loads, achieve better crash protection, and comply with safety standards.
Automakers are moving toward third-generation AHSS (3GAHSS) and teaming up with steel manufacturers to create sustainable steel products and smart manufacturing platforms.
As per OICA, the U.S. produced 10,562,188 vehicles in 2024, compared to 10,611,555 in 2023.
U.S. Iron & Steel Market Segmentation Analysis
Insights by Product Type
Finished steel products are the largest and fastest-growing category with 65% share in 2024. They find extensive application in the construction, automotive, machinery, and energy sectors. Flat and long steel are widely used in building bridges and high-rise buildings and for industrial operations. The high demand for hot- and cold-rolled coils and rebars is because of the government-funded infrastructure projects and industrial production requirements.
The product types covered in this report are:
Raw Materials
Iron Ore
Scrap Steel
Ferroalloys
Semi-Finished Products
Pig Iron
Direct Reduced Iron (DRI)
Slabs, Billets, Blooms
Finished Products (Largest and Fastest-Growing Category)
Flat Steel
Hot Rolled Coils (HRC)
Cold Rolled Coils (CRC)
Galvanized & Coated Sheets
Long Steel
Rebars (Reinforcement Bars)
Wire Rods
Structural Steel (I-Beams, H-Beams)
Rails
Tubular Steel
Seamless Pipes
Welded Pipes (ERW, LSAW, SSAW)
Specialty Steel (Fastest-Growing Category)
Stainless Steel
Tool Steel
Electrical Steel
Alloy Steel
Insights by Production Process
Primary steelmaking is the largest and fastest-growing category with 60% share in 2024. This is because it can make large quantities of premium steel products. The traditional BF-BOF process dominates primary steelmaking since it efficiently makes high-strength steel for automotive, construction, and heavy machinery applications. Integrated steel producers use the BF-BOF method to turn iron ore into virgin steel, which maintains uniform mechanical properties.
The production processes covered in this report are:
Primary Steelmaking (Largest and Fastest-Growing Category)
Blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace
Electric arc furnace (EAF)
Open hearth furnace (OHF)
Secondary Refining & Casting
Ladle metallurgy refining
Continuous casting
Ingot casting
Finishing Processes
Rolling
Galvanizing
Coating
Annealing
Pickling
Insights by Customer Type
OEMs are the largest category with 70% share because they need substantial amounts of steel products across diverse industries, including automotive, aerospace, machinery, and appliances. High-strength and specialized steel materials serve as the main components in the automotive industry for vehicle frames, panels, and components. OEMs buy directly from steel manufacturers in bulk, to secure a steady supply and premium quality at reduced wholesale costs.
The customer types covered in this report are:
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) (Largest Category)
Contractors & Fabricators
Distributors & Wholesalers
Government & Defense Contractors (Fastest-Growing Category)
Insights by End Use
The construction & infrastructure sector is the largest category in the market with 75% share, as steel and iron products are extensively used in bridges, roads, railway tracks, and commercial, residential, and industrial buildings. Steel is popular as it provides exceptional strength, durability, and recycling possibilities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has created a huge demand for structural steel, rebars, and galvanized sheets for highways, water systems, and transit networks. The rising need for urban development, sustainability, and earthquake-proof buildings drives steel consumption in the construction & infrastructure sector.
The end users covered in this report are:
Construction & Infrastructure (Largest Category)
Automotive & Transportation
Industrial Machinery & Equipment
Energy & Utilities (Fastest-Growing Category)
Consumer Goods & Appliances
Defense & Aerospace
Insights by Market Segment
Integrated steel producers are the largest category with 80% share because they operate high-volume steel production lines with full vertical integration. These producers supply extensive volumes of flat and long steel products for all kinds of industries. Moreover, these plants usually produce more than one kind of product, which suits users who have varying requirements.
The major market segments covered in this report are:
Integrated Steel Producers (Largest Category)
Mini Mills (Fastest-Growing Category)
Steel Service Centers & Distributors
Recycling & Scrap Processors
Importers & Traders
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U.S. Iron & Steel Market Regional Outlook
The Midwest is the prime revenue contributor with 40% share because it maintains of its historical association with steelmaking, expansive industrial infrastructure, and easy access to raw material reserves. Major integrated steel plants owned by U.S. Steel, Cleveland-Cliffs, and Nucor are located in Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The extensive presence of iron ore in the Great Lakes region, efficient transportation links, and numerous automotive, construction, and manufacturing companies fuel steel consumption in this region.
The regions analyzed in this report are:
Northeast
Midwest (Largest region)
West
South (Fastest-Growing Region)
U.S. Iron & Steel Market Competitive Landscape
The market is relatively fragmented as a variety of starting, semi-finished, and finished products are available for different purposes. While a few companies dominate domestic production, the sales are distributed among a large number of companies. This is because the country still imports a large chunk of the iron and steel products it consumes from companies in Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, and a few others. Moreover, while a few integrated steel producers mine their own ore, most others procure from third-party suppliers and miners, which further fragments the market.
Key U.S. Iron & Steel Companies:
Nucor Corporation
United States Steel Corporation
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.
Steel Dynamics, Inc.
Commercial Metals Company
JFE Steel Corporation
Grupo Simec
Ryerson Holding Corporation
TimkenSteel Corporation
Worthington Industries, Inc.
Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc.
Algoma Steel Inc.
U.S. Iron & Steel Market News
In January 2025, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. entered discussions with Nucor Corp. to purchase U.S. Steel.
In June 2024, JFE Steel Corporation announced that JGreeX Green Steel will be used to make transformers for data centers by a major company in the U.S.
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