Rising rebar prices in the United States threaten the resumption of imports
The reduction in supply was the catalyst, as rebar prices in the United States increased by more than a fifth during 2025, ending the year at the highest level since July 2023.
Price data published in the December issue of the European Parliament's International Steel Survey showed that rebar prices in the domestic market reached USD 880-930 per tonne excluding production, compared with USD 715-735 per tonne excluding production in the same period in 2024.
The Trump administration's decision to raise Article 232 tariffs from 25% to 50%, passed last June, has made it difficult for many well-known foreign suppliers to remain competitive in the United States.
However, Chris Jackson, a steel market analyst at the European Parliament, says that American steel producers may be limited in their ability to achieve further price increases in 2026.
"There is a high probability that American rebar factories, encouraged by their successes in 2025, will announce further price increases on the list sooner rather than later," he said.
" However, domestic buyers will be reluctant to pay more. This is due to the fact that there is currently a large price gap between the cost of scrap and the prices of finished fittings.
"Moreover, if domestic factories raise prices too much, it will reopen the door to imports. Using third-party materials will become an increasingly acceptable option, especially in the coastal regions of the country, despite the 50% tariff.
"For example, MEPs understand that raw materials from South Korea are competitively priced below $900 per ton, including a 50% tariff, and are expected to reach U.
S. shores at the end of the first quarter of 2026."
Lower import volumes support rebar prices
Preliminary data released by the Office of International Trade shows that rebar imports to the United States decreased by 8.3% in 2025. Vietnamese material, which is the subject of an ongoing anti-dumping investigation by four countries, was the largest source of rebar imports from the United States. According to preliminary license data, imports from the country reached 186,055 tons last year, which is 229.9% more than last year.
Overall, in 2025, the volume of imports in the other three countries involved in the trade case with the United States decreased. Imports from Egypt, the largest source of imports in 2024, fell by 38.4%. Imports of fittings from Algeria and Bulgaria decreased by 9.2% and 27.8%, respectively.
Encouraged by trade legislation limiting the impact of imports