Trump this week signaled plans to impose previously threatened tariffs of as much as 25% on Mexico and Canada by Feb. 1. While the two countries are exempt from a sweeping 25% steel tariff the US imposed during the first Trump administration, there’s increasing concern in the industry that the metal won’t receive a carve out.
“There’s a lot of trepidation and changing commercial policy by the Mexican steelmakers with regards to their approach to this market,” Jeremy Flack, chief executive officer of Arizona-based steel distributor Flack Global Metals, said in an interview. “They’re off balance because of this. They’ve gone from concerned to unconcerned to concerned again.”
Canada is the top foreign import source of steel into the US and Mexico is the third largest, according to US Commerce Department data. The US consumed about 91 million tons of steel in 2023, with imports accounting for about…
