By 
U.S. Steel Shipments Rise 5.9% in August as YTD Growth Reaches 5.4%
U.S. steel mills shipped 8.22 million net tons in August 2026, up 5.9% from a year earlier and 5.4% for the first eight months of the year, although monthly volumes were virtually unchanged from July.
By Paul Ploumis
Published October 12, 2026
Key Points
- August shipments: 8.22 million net tons.
- Year over year: ↑5.9% from August 2025.
- Month over month: Essentially flat, rising by only 1,014 net tons from July.
- 2026 YTD shipments: 63.97 million net tons, ↑5.4%.
- Corrosion-resistant sheet and strip: ↑11% YTD.
- Hot-rolled sheet and strip: ↑9% YTD.
- Cold-rolled sheet: ↑0.1% YTD.
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): U.S. steel mill shipments maintained solid annual growth in August 2026, although the latest monthly data suggest volumes have leveled off following a weaker July.
The American Iron and Steel Institute reported that domestic steel mills shipped 8,220,554 net tons during August, compared with 8,219,540 net tons in July and 7,762,706 net tons in August 2025.
That translates to a ↑5.9% year-over-year increase but a month-over-month gain of just 1,014 net tons, or roughly 0.01%.
ScrapMonster Exclusive: Annual Growth Is Strong, but August Shows a Plateau
The headline 5.9% annual increase is clearly positive, but the monthly comparison tells a more restrained story. August shipments were only 1,014 net tons above July, effectively leaving domestic mill shipments unchanged from one month to the next.
That matters because July had already fallen 3.7% from June. August therefore looks more like stabilization after the July pullback than the start of another leg higher in monthly shipment volumes.
The product mix also shows that the improvement is not evenly distributed. Corrosion-resistant sheet and strip shipments are up 11% year to date and hot-rolled sheet and strip are up 9%, while cold-rolled sheet has gained only 0.1%. The strongest growth is concentrated in selected flat-rolled categories rather than spread evenly across the reported products.
Import data add another important piece of context. Through August, AISI reported total steel imports down 15.1% from the same period in 2025 and finished imports down 18.5%, while domestic mill shipments were up 5.4%.
Those figures do not by themselves prove that lower imports caused higher domestic shipments. But taken together, they show a U.S. market in which domestic mills are shipping more steel than a year ago while imported tonnage occupies a smaller role than it did in 2025.
August Shipments Reach 8.22 Million Net Tons
U.S. mills shipped 8,220,554 net tons of steel in August.
| Shipment Comparison | Volume | Change |
|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | 8,220,554 NT | — |
| July 2026 | 8,219,540 NT | Essentially flat |
| August 2025 | 7,762,706 NT | ↑5.9% |
The year-over-year difference amounts to approximately 457,848 additional net tons shipped in August 2026 compared with the same month last year.
Monthly Shipments Stabilize After July Decline
The flat August result follows a more noticeable decline in the prior month.
July shipments had fallen ↓3.7% from June, when domestic mills shipped 8.54 million net tons.
August therefore halted the month-over-month decline but did not meaningfully recover the volume lost between June and July.
| Month | Shipments | Monthly Signal |
|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | 8.54 million NT | Higher base |
| July 2026 | 8.22 million NT | ↓3.7% |
| August 2026 | 8.22 million NT | → Flat |
Year-to-Date Shipments Rise 5.4%
The longer-term comparison remains stronger.
U.S. steel mills shipped 63,967,195 net tons during January through August 2026, compared with 60,700,214 net tons during the same eight-month period of 2025.
That represents an increase of approximately 3.27 million net tons, or ↑5.4%.
The year-to-date gain is also slightly stronger than the 5.3% growth recorded through July, indicating that August's year-over-year performance was sufficient to maintain the broader annual growth trend.
Corrosion-Resistant Steel Leads Product Growth
AISI’s product comparison shows meaningful differences among major steel categories.
| Steel Product | Jan.–Aug. 2026 vs. 2025 |
|---|---|
| Corrosion-resistant sheet and strip | ↑11% |
| Hot-rolled sheet and strip | ↑9% |
| Cold-rolled sheet | ↑0.1% |
Corrosion-resistant sheet and strip recorded the strongest percentage growth among the categories highlighted by AISI.
Hot-rolled sheet and strip also posted a substantial year-to-date increase, while cold-rolled sheet shipments were effectively unchanged from the prior-year period.
Domestic Shipment Growth Comes as Imports Decline
Separate AISI data provide additional context for the domestic shipment numbers.
U.S. total steel imports through August were down ↓15.1% from the first eight months of 2025, while finished steel imports fell ↓18.5%.
Finished steel import market share was estimated at approximately 16% year to date.
| U.S. Steel Indicator | Jan.–Aug. 2026 Change |
|---|---|
| Domestic mill shipments | ↑5.4% |
| Total steel imports | ↓15.1% |
| Finished steel imports | ↓18.5% |
| Finished import market share | 16% YTD |
The figures show a clear divergence between domestic shipments and imports during the first eight months of the year, although shipment and import statistics measure different parts of the market and should not be treated as a direct one-for-one comparison.
2026 Builds on Higher U.S. Steel Shipments in 2025
The latest gains follow an already stronger shipment year in 2025.
AISI reported that domestic steel mill shipments totaled approximately 91 million net tons in 2025, up 5% from the previous year.
U.S. raw steel production also increased 3% in 2025 to approximately 90 million net tons.
The 2026 shipment figures therefore represent continued annual growth from a base that had already improved during the previous year.
What to Watch Next
September shipments: The next monthly report will show whether the August plateau develops into renewed growth or extends into another flat month.
Product mix: Corrosion-resistant and hot-rolled products remain the strongest reported categories, while cold-rolled shipments are showing almost no annual growth.
Imports: Continued weakness in imported finished steel could remain an important backdrop for domestic producers.
Manufacturing demand: Automotive, construction, machinery, energy and other manufacturing sectors will remain important determinants of domestic shipment volumes.
Monthly momentum: The annual comparisons remain positive, but a return toward June shipment levels would provide stronger evidence of renewed sequential acceleration.
ScrapMonster Market Read: August confirms that U.S. steel mills are operating from a stronger shipment position than they were a year ago, but it also shows why annual and monthly comparisons need to be read together. The ↑5.9% year-over-year gain is meaningful; the roughly 0.01% increase from July is not. For now, the data point to solid annual growth combined with a near-term plateau rather than accelerating monthly demand.
Source: American Iron and Steel Institute.
