Steel production in the United States has surpassed Japan’s steel production for the first time in 26 years, a result of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. In 2025, U.S. steel production beat out Japan to become the world’s third-largest steel producer. This is the first time since 1999 that the U.S. has produced more steel than Japan. crude steel production in 2025 was up 3.1% to 82 million tons, the first rise in two years, according to the World Steel Association,” Nikkei Asia reports. Those tariff rates were later doubled to 50 percent, which has helped drastically boost steel production in the United States.