Zohaib Masood
Steel at $1,200 a ton: what a 50% Section 232 tariff actually does, and why imports came back
US hot-rolled coil hit roughly $1,200/st in mid-August 2026 and imports are competitive again despite a 50% tariff. The tariff did not fail - it is an ad valorem duty and the domestic price moved. The July tonnage shows exactly where buyers went instead.
Section 232 tariffsteel prices 2026hot rolled coil price