Steel Products Manufacturers NAICS 3312

Feb 21, 2026 - 2026: Strong Demand Forecast

• Steel products are positioned for a strong demand cycle in 2026, driven by three major sectors: data centers, infrastructure, and energy, The Fabricator reports. Massive AI‑driven data‑center construction is one of the fastest‑growing consumers of steel, requiring large volumes of structural shapes, rebar, decking, racks, cooling‑system frames, and electrical enclosures. Individual hyperscale projects can use tens of thousands of tons of steel, creating sustained demand for structural and fabricated steel products. Infrastructure spending is another big driver of demand. Projects such as the I‑10 Calcasieu Bridge, Brent Spence Bridge Corridor, Brightline West high‑speed rail, and multiple Pacific Northwest bridge replacements will require extensive structural steel, rebar, rail, and fabricated components. Energy projects, including LNG terminals and major pipeline expansions, add further demand for carbon steel, alloy steels, plate, pipe, and structural modules.
• Consolidation among steel mills and service centers, combined with 50% Section 232 tariffs, is reshaping the steel supply chain, The Fabricator reports. Mergers such as Ryerson–Olympic Steel concentrate distribution power, reducing the number of outlets manufacturers rely on for specialty grades, mixed loads, and quick‑turn inventory. As large service centers grow, smaller and mid‑sized steel product producers risk receiving less attention, fewer flexible financing options, and reduced access to spot inventory that historically helped them manage volatility. Stiff tariffs have tightened domestic supply by sharply reducing imports, pushing more buyers into an already consolidated market. With less competition, service centers can hold inventory longer, raise prices more quickly, and negotiate less aggressively. For steel product manufacturers, who depend on predictable input costs, this means higher prices, slower price declines, longer lead times, and diminished leverage.

• China’s decision to impose export controls on roughly 300 categories of steel products starting January 1, 2026 will reshape global steel flows and directly affect US steel product manufacturers, The Wall Street Journal reports. Exporters in China will now need government permission to ship items such as billet, hot‑rolled coil, stainless steel, bar, and pipe, all materials that have contributed to China’s record‑high steel exports in 2025, according to Bloomberg. For US makers of steel products, China’s move to curb the outflow of steel and steel products would likely result in less downward price pressure from low‑cost Chinese steel, improving domestic pricing power. However, US manufacturers that rely on imported semi‑finished or specialty Chinese steel could see tighter supplies and rising costs. China’s exports of steel products are on track to hit a record in 2025, according to WSJ.
• Producer prices for steel product manufacturers from purchased steel rose 4.6% in November compared to a year ago, after falling 5.8% in the previous November-versus-November annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Producer prices for manufacturers of steel products have tumbled 25% from their peak in May 2022, when strong demand from key customer industries drove prices to new heights. More recently, prices have rebounded 6.3% since their four-year low in February 2025. Industry employment grew 1.5% year over year in November, while average industry wages at primary metals manufacturers dipped 0.9% YoY in December to $29.41 per hour, BLS data shows.