The National Chamber of the Iron and Steel Industry (Canacero) supported the tariff measures announced by the Mexican government, which seek to impose taxes to protect various productive sectors, including the steel industry, within the framework of the Protection Program for Mexico’s Strategic Industries .

This program, which was sent to the  Congress of the Union , considers reforming various sections of the General Import and Export Tax Law, which would adjust tariff fractions of the Tariff of the General Import Tax Law, in order to increase the most favored nation tariffs applicable to the import of different goods.

In this regard, Canacero emphasized the need to promote public policies that strengthen the national industry in the face of the challenges of international trade , highlighting the efforts of the federal government.

“In an increasingly complex global environment, it is essential to have measures that defend Mexican production, promote competitiveness, and protect employment, fundamental pillars of the country’s industrial development,” the organization emphasized in a statement.

Canacero also announced that it is ready to begin the review process for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) , “a fundamental negotiation for the future of our country.”

It’s worth remembering that the  Ministry of Economy (SE)  published the call for comments on the operation of this trade agreement in the  Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF)  , ahead of the USMCA review scheduled for July 2026.

The agency expressed confidence that these actions will continue to address the specific needs of the steel value chain and will align with the objectives of Plan Mexico , to further promote investment, industrial development, and regional integration, with the goal of consolidating a strong, modern, and competitive steel industry .

In 2024, Mexico ranked 15th in the world as a steel producer , with Nuevo León leading the way in producing this input, with 2.73 million tons, according to data from Canacero.

Meanwhile, domestic production of  finished steel products  last year reached 18.2 million tons, reflecting the importance of this sector for the country.

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El cargo Canacero approves measures to protect the Mexican steel industry apareció primero en T21.

Marcelo Ebrard , head of the Ministry of Economy (SE) , held a meeting with Jamieson Greer , United States Trade Representative, in which, the Mexican official noted, there was progress on the issue of tariffs on steel and aluminum, although he did not reveal what these are.

Through his account on the social network X, Ebrard published that he had a “cordial conversation” with the US official.

Ebrard also met with Howard Lutnick , U.S. Secretary of Commerce, to present his case for Mexico’s exclusion from the aforementioned taxes.

On the same social network, the Mexican official posted: “We are moving toward solutions for our two great nations,” although he did not specify what those solutions were.

It’s worth remembering that Ebrard had announced he would hold meetings with his counterparts in the United States to make progress on the issue of steel and aluminum tariffs, which the president of our northern neighbor, Donald Trump , increased from 25% to 50% on June 4.

The new measure, according to the US president, is intended to strengthen the US industry producing these inputs.

The new tariff will apply to goods imported for consumption determined by the crossing date, or goods imported into free trade zones as of the aforementioned date.

Mexico has sought to reach an agreement on steel and aluminum tariffs through dialogue and negotiation, and a team led by Marcelo Ebrard has held meetings with U.S. trade representatives.

In response to the 50% increase in tariffs on steel and aluminum, Mexican President  Claudia Sheinbaum called the measure “unfair” and unfounded by law. She announced that if she doesn’t reach an agreement with the United States government, some actions her administration will take on the issue will be announced next week.

Meanwhile, the  National Chamber of the Iron and Steel Industry (Canacero)  rejected the Trump administration’s decision and emphasized that the United States maintains a bilateral steel trade surplus with Mexico of  four billion dollars  in finished products, which will increase in 2025 due to the decline in Mexican exports.

The agency emphasized that Mexican steel does not pose a threat to the U.S. market; “on the contrary, we are complementary, and our country is completely open to U.S. exports.”

For its part, the National Chamber of the Aluminum Industry (Canalum) supported the Mexican government’s efforts in bilateral negotiations with its northern neighbor, and described the measure imposed by Trump as “unilateral, unjustified, and detrimental to both economies.”

In a statement, the agency considered that this decision represents “a direct threat to a strategic productive sector that constitutes a pillar of the national industry,” and asserted that Mexico has the capacity to transform aluminum, and therefore called on the federal government to integrate aluminum as a priority sector within Plan Mexico .

*Main photo taken from Marcelo Ebrard’s X account .

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In a statement, the organization considered the measure unjustified , since ” the 25% and now 50% tariffs primarily affect its trading partners and the value chain in the region.”

This, he noted, is because China and other Asian countries are increasing subsidies and depreciating their currencies to avoid these taxes.

Canacero emphasized that Mexican steel does not pose a threat to the U.S. market; “on the contrary, we are complementary, and our country is completely open to U.S. exports.”

The organization emphasized that the United States maintains a bilateral steel trade surplus with Mexico of four billion dollars (million dollars) in finished products, which will increase in 2025 due to the decline in Mexican exports, which decreased by 50 percent in April and May alone.

“The best solution to combat global steel overcapacity and unfair trade practices is to work together as a region,” he said, adding that they trust in the negotiations being conducted by the Ministry of Economy (SE) “and in the urgent measures that will be established as a result.”

It’s worth noting that the Mexican steel industry is the 15th largest producer of steel globally, contributing 1.4% to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 6.9% to manufacturing GDP, while operating below the global average in terms of emissions.

Tariff adjustment, an “unsustainable” measure: Ebrard

On this issue, Marcelo Ebrard , head of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, described the 50% tariff increase on steel and aluminum as “unsustainable, unfair, and ineffective.” He indicated that he will hold a meeting with his U.S. counterparts next Friday, where he will present his arguments for excluding Mexico from this measure.

“We will express my opinion on Friday. I find it difficult to sustain this. So it is unfair, unsustainable, and we will present our arguments on Friday for Mexico to be excluded from these measures, just as the United Kingdom was,” the federal official emphasized.

He pointed out that the decision by Donald Trump , President of the United States, goes against the industries of both countries, since steel is mainly used in the automotive, construction, metalworking, and electronics industries , so these sectors will be affected.

Ebrard emphasized that he believes the 50% tariff will be difficult to sustain, and said it will have to be adjusted, as the economic impact is significant. He also maintained that “there is a plan for any scenario.”

He added that the new measure is unfair to Mexico. “It makes no sense to impose a tariff on a product you have a surplus in. Normally, it’s imposed when you have a deficit, not a surplus.”

Last February, Ebrard stated that the United States’ surplus with Mexico in the steel and aluminum trade would reach $6.897 billion in 2024, while the balance with other countries was negative.

On June 3, Trump signed an executive order to increase tariffs on steel and aluminum imported into the United States, increasing them from 25 percent to 50 percent.

The new tax will apply to goods imported for consumption determined by the date of crossing, or goods imported into free trade zones starting June 4.

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El cargo Canacero rejects tariff increases on mexican steel; warns it is an “unjustified” measure apareció primero en T21.

In order to strengthen the American steel and aluminum industry, Donald Trump , president of our northern neighbor, announced that tariffs applied to all imports of these materials into the United States will increase from 25% to 50% , which would come into effect on June 4 .

It’s worth remembering that on March 12, Trump implemented the 25% tax on steel and aluminum, a warning he had signed through executive orders on February 10, “without exceptions or exemptions,” as the U.S. president put it that day.

In this regard, the 25% tax is already levied on Mexico and Canada, countries that, along with the United States, form part of the Agreement between Mexico, the United States and Canada (T-MEC) .

However, so far, Trump, who announced the new measure during a visit to a US Steel plant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he also celebrated the alliance between the American company and the Japanese firm Nippon Steel , did not clarify whether the increase will apply to Mexico and Canada.

“We’re going to raise tariffs on steel in the United States from 25% to 50%, which will further secure the industry in the country,” he said, confirming this in a post he made on the Truth Social network on May 30.

On June 1, Trump posted another message on the same social media platform, which he accompanied with a video and which referenced the topic. “We’re going to put Pennsylvania steel in the backbone of America,” he emphasized in the text.

The US president explained that he had considered setting the tariff at 40%, but industry representatives asked him to raise it to 50% to have a greater impact on the defense of this sector.

Such a measure would increase pressure on global steel producers and could escalate the trade war sparked by the imposition of reciprocal tariffs, which is currently on hold.

According to Adrian Gonzalez , president of  Global Alliance Solutions LLC , to date, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has not issued operational guidance, nor has an executive order been published formally confirming the measure announced by Trump.

“It is also unclear whether the increase will apply to all tariff items included in Section 232, including steel, aluminum, and their derivatives,” González emphasized in a statement.

The National Chamber of the Iron and Steel Industry (Canacero) has repeatedly stated that steel exports from Mexico do not represent a threat to the United States, and explained that while Mexico accounted for 16.1%  of the market in Mexico in 2024, the country only represented  2.2%  of the market in the United States.

Mexico has sought to reach an agreement on steel and aluminum tariffs through dialogue and negotiation, and a team led by Marcelo Ebrard , head of Mexico’s Ministry of Economy (SE) , has held meetings with its U.S. counterparts.

Just last May 27, Ebrard confirmed that there had been progress on the 25% tariffs on these materials.

“I’d say we’ve had eight meetings on steel and aluminum. I’d almost say I’m an expert on the subject, but I’m optimistic. I can’t give you details because I can’t, but we are making progress,” Ebrard said at the National Meeting of  BBVA Regional Board Members .

Donald Trump’s announcement comes after the  U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT)  issued a potential setback to the U.S. president’s reciprocal tariffs and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington issued a provisional stay to review the case.

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The National Chamber of the Iron and Steel Industry (Canacero) rejected the imposition of 25% tariffs on steel imports by the United States and asked the Mexican government to “take urgent trade defense measures to protect the national industry.”

In a statement, the organization expressed its “deep disagreement” with the unilateral decision by the U.S. government, a measure that, it noted, will seriously affect the steel industry and the entire metalworking chain in North America , putting competitiveness and regional integration at risk.

“The tariffs threaten 75% of Mexican steel exports, valued at 2.1 billion dollars, putting key jobs and investments in our country at risk,” Canacero added.

He said that if Mexican steel is not excluded from tariffs, it will be necessary to apply reciprocal reprisals on steel products from our northern neighbor .

In this regard, he stated that “the Mexican steel industry supports the efforts of the Government of Mexico to ensure that economic reason prevails and achieve the definitive exclusion of Mexico from the executive order recently communicated by the United States government.”

He added that in the face of the threat of excess capacity in China and Southeast Asia, a high level of productive integration between the two countries and regional benefits must prevail.

The statement said that the steel trade balance between the United States and Mexico reflects a surplus of 2.3 million tons in favor of the United States at the end of 2024, “so there is no justification for the imposition of tariffs on Mexican steel.”

On February 10, Donald Trump , President of the United States, announced that he had signed two executive orders to impose 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, a rate that will apply to all countries and will affect its trading partners in the region, such as Mexico and Canada.

These measures will come into effect on March 12 of this year.

In response to this, on Tuesday at the morning conference, Marcelo Ebrard , head of the  Ministry of Economy  in Mexico, described the measure as a “bad and unjustifiable idea ,” since the United States exports more to the country than it imports, and will therefore seek dialogue with trade authorities from its northern neighbor.

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El cargo Canacero rejects US tariffs; calls for urgent measures to protect Mexican steel industry apareció primero en T21.

Due to the increase in exports of finished steel products from the United States, the Mexican industry of this product faces a “critical challenge,” said the National Chamber of the Iron and Steel Industry (Canacero) , who also warned that this sector of the northern neighbor is not complying with the joint declaration agreed by both countries.

“Between 2015 and 2023, bilateral trade in finished steel products has reflected an average annual surplus of 1.2 million tons in favor of the United States; however, in 2024 this surplus doubled, reaching unprecedented levels,” Canacero said in a statement.

According to annualized data through November, there was a 21% growth in U.S. exports to Mexico compared to the 2015-2017 base period; on the other hand, Mexican exports to the United States fell 2% , generating a surplus of 2.4 million tons and a value of more than four billion dollars (mdd) .

According to information from the Ministry of Economy , 27% of the steel that our northern neighbor exports to Mexico originates in Asian countries, with possible cases of triangulation from Malaysia.

“On the contrary, accusations that Mexico serves as a bridge from China for the triangulation of Asian steel to the United States are unfounded. Data from the United States Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis System (SIMA) indicate that between January and November 2024, exports of steel of Chinese origin from Mexico were only 580 tons, representing 0.02% of the total. Likewise, 85% of the steel exported by Mexico is melted and cast in the country,” he stressed.

Canacero explained that while Mexico has supported regionalization and integration under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (T-MEC) , the Mexican steel industry is currently seen being displaced.

In this regard, he recalled that in 2024 the United States captured 15.9% of the Mexican market, while our country represented only 2.2% of the American market. In light of this, he indicated that Mexico has adopted measures to protect the region from unfair practices , including the application of tariffs of up to 50% for countries without trade agreements.

“In addition, it has implemented an automatic import notification system with certification of the producing mill, and has worked with the United States through the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on a steel traceability system to identify its origin and avoid triangulation attempts,” he said.

In this context, Canacero ratified its support for the position of the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum,  to apply some measures to exported steel products from the northern neighbor sent to our country, in the face of possible trade reprisals.

Just last January 17, this same organization ruled out that steel exports from Mexico were a threat to the United States, and stated that it is unfounded that Mexican exports are generating the closure of plants or layoffs in the United States, as the steel industry in that country has mentioned on several occasions.

According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) , in November 2024, Mexican mining and metallurgical production, which includes extraction, processing, smelting and refining activities of metallic and non-metallic minerals, stood at a level of 77.6 points , which meant a decrease of  0.9% at a monthly rate.

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El cargo Mexican steel industry faces challenges from US exports: Canacero apareció primero en T21.

Steel exports from Mexico do not represent a threat to the United States, said the National Chamber of the Iron and Steel Industry (Canacero) , and supported the position of President Claudia Sheinbaum in applying some measures to steel products exported from the northern neighbor sent to our country, in the face of possible trade reprisals.

“In light of the growth in U.S. steel exports to Mexico and the persistent threat of imposing tariffs that violate the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on Mexican steel, the industry supports what our president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has said, in the sense that the Mexican government, if necessary, should apply a proportional and immediate retaliation to the exported products, in this case for steel products from the United States sent to Mexico,” the organization indicated in a statement.

He also argued that it is unfounded that Mexico’s exports are causing plant closures or layoffs in the United States, as the steel industry in that country has mentioned on several occasions.

According to its own sources, the northern neighbor has a surplus with Mexico in bilateral trade of finished products, since the United States’ surplus has been 1.2 million tons per year on average from 2015 to 2023.

“With information up to October 2024, the US surplus will increase to 2.4 million tons, which will represent 4.1 billion dollars (mdd). This implies a 10% growth in the tons exported by the United States to Mexico compared to 2023 and 23% more than the 2015-2017 average. In contrast, Mexico’s exports to the United States have fallen 13% compared to 2023, with which we return to 2015 levels,” Canacero detailed.

In this regard, he explained that while in 2024 the United States accounted for 16.1% of the market in Mexico, our country represented only 2.2% of the market in the United States.

He clarified that data from the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE)  indicate that Mexico’s exports have 11.8% U.S. content and the exports that our northern neighbor makes to our country generate nearly 40 thousand direct jobs in that nation.

He also dismissed accusations of triangulation since, according to information from the United States Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis System (SIMA) , from January to October 2024, exports of that product of Chinese origin are only 578 tons , which represented 0.02% of total steel product exports in that period.

Among other provisions, he explained that Mexico has taken actions such as tariff measures against countries with which it does not have a trade agreement of up to 50% , along with automatic import notices that require a certification from the producing mill and various antidumping cases (a measure that seeks to protect the national industry from unfair competition).

In addition, the industry has joined the efforts of the US government by working on a traceability program implemented by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) .

Canacero considered that the best way to confront China is the T-MEC and regional integration ; “the real solution to combat unfair imports is to act as a block in the face of common challenges,” which is why it urged unity, since “it not only amplifies regional power, it also mitigates the national security vulnerabilities of our countries.”

In the next review of the USMCA, scheduled for 2026, the steel industry will be one of the topics that the negotiators of the trilateral trade agreement will put on the table. In light of this, and in agreement with Canacero, the Mexican Government is preparing similar measures that, if they affect this sector, would apply to some steel products from the United States.

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El cargo Canacero Denies Mexican Steel Exports Pose Threat to the U.S. apareció primero en T21.

In November 2024, Mexican mining and metallurgical production, which includes extraction, processing, smelting and refining activities of metallic and non-metallic minerals, stood at a level of 77.6 points , which meant a decrease of 0.9% at a monthly rate, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) reported on Monday .

According to the Mining and Metallurgical Industry Statistics (EIMM) , which provides information on mining and metallurgical activity in order to generate timely indicators, production increased by 1.8 percent annually .

In the reference period, at an annual rate, zinc production increased by 13.1% ; copper also increased by 11.5% . Silver and lead also increased their production by 2.1% and 0.6% , respectively.

In contrast, fluorite production fell by 0.8 percent during the period . Other products and minerals that saw a decline in production were non-coking coal – used for electricity generation – with 1.3 percent , gypsum had a fall of 1.3 percent , gold by 8.6 percent , iron pallets by 11.9 percent and sulfur by 32.9 percent .

Meanwhile, Zacatecas stood out in gold production with an annual variation of 13.6%, as well as silver with 32.5%, lead with 20.3% and zinc with 57.7%, Inegi said.

According to the Mexican Mining Chamber (Camimex) , the value of the country’s mining and metallurgical production totaled 261 billion 61 million pesos (mdp) in 2023, which represented a decrease of 17.6% compared to 2022, a situation that reflected the difficulties of the sector in that period.

On January 17, the National Chamber of the Iron and Steel Industry (Canacero)  ruled out that steel exports from Mexico represent a threat to the United States, as the neighboring country to the north has pointed out.

The organization described as “unfounded” the allegations that steel exports from Mexico are causing plant closures or layoffs in the United States, and supported the position of President Claudia Sheinbaum to apply some measures to steel exports from the United States sent to our country, in the face of possible trade reprisals upon the arrival of Donald Trump to the White House.

In the next review of the Treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada (T-MEC) , scheduled for 2026, the mining industry could be one of the issues that will be put on the table, to which Mexican negotiators will have to pay special attention, since both partner countries have companies in the sector in Mexico.

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