The US imports $80B+ in steel, aluminum, copper, and structural metals every year. Find who imports what — mill by mill, distributor by distributor — using public CBP manifest data. Essential intelligence for metals freight brokers and steel service centers.
| Country | US Market Share | Products Exported |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | ~28% | Flat-rolled steel, structural steel, pipe & tube |
| Brazil | ~14% | Semifinished steel, hot-rolled coil, wire rod |
| South Korea | ~12% | Cold-rolled coil, galvanized, automotive-grade |
| Mexico | ~10% | Structural shapes, rebar, hollow sections |
| Germany | ~6% | Specialty alloys, stainless, tool steel |
Service centers like Metals USA, Olympic Steel, and Ryerson import large volumes of flat-rolled and structural steel for processing and distribution. They appear consistently in manifest data with high per-shipment weights.
Construction companies, rebar distributors, and infrastructure contractors import structural steel and rebar for building projects. Volumes spike with housing starts and infrastructure spending.
Manufacturers importing specialty steel for automotive, energy, and industrial production. Often sourcing specialty alloys and stainless grades from Germany, Japan, and South Korea.
Representative records from US CBP public manifest filings
| Shipper | Product | US Consignee | Port | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COMPANHIA SIDERURGICA NACIONAL | HOT ROLLED STEEL COIL | METALS USA INC | Baltimore | 412,000 KG |
| HYUNDAI STEEL CO LTD | COLD ROLLED STEEL SHEET | SERVICE CENTER LLC | Houston | 285,000 KG |
| NOVELIS AG SWITZERLAND | ALUMINUM ROLLED PRODUCTS | NOVELIS CORP USA | New Orleans | 198,400 KG |
| THYSSEN KRUPP STEEL | SPECIALTY ALLOY STEEL | TK METALS GROUP | New York | 67,200 KG |
"steel coil" or "hot rolled steel" imports by origin country"aluminum billet" or "aluminum sheet" importers to Midwest"stainless steel" specialty imports from Germany or Japan"rebar" or "structural steel" to construction hubs (Houston, Dallas)Copper cathode or copper wire imports from Chile, PeruSteel is one of the heaviest freight categories per shipment — often 200+ metric tons per container. Freight brokers serving metals importers earn significantly more per load than light-freight categories. Manifest data surfaces who is moving this freight.
Steel tariffs (Section 232), anti-dumping duties, and trade agreements regularly reshape which countries US importers buy from. When a tariff hits, importers scramble for new sources — and new freight brokers. Manifest data shows these shifts in real time.
When a new service center opens or an existing one expands, it appears in manifest data before it is in any sales list. Early outreach at that moment is far easier than competing for established relationships.
Yes. CBP product descriptions for metals are relatively specific — "cold rolled galvanized," "stainless steel coil," and "aluminum sheet" all appear regularly. Search terms map well to manifest descriptions.
You can filter by port of entry (New Orleans, Savannah, Baltimore for East Coast/Gulf; Chicago for Great Lakes) and by consignee address to identify importers in specific geographic markets.
Yes. All manifest records include cargo weight (in KG) and container count. For steel, these numbers are substantial — a single ship can carry dozens of containers each weighing 20+ metric tons.
Yes. Copper, aluminum, nickel, titanium, and other metals all appear in CBP manifest data. The same search interface works across all metal categories.
10M+ manifest records covering steel & metals and every other US import category. Find importers, track volumes, and build your freight prospect list.
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