Pakistan steel imports rebound to $517m: scrap and hot-rolled coil lead the way

How much steel does Pakistan import?

Iron and steel (chapter 72) was Pakistan's third-largest import group in September 2026, behind fuel and electrical goods. It was worth US$516.8 million, 7.9% of the month's $6.57 billion import bill, and came in on 6,540 goods declarations from 1,076 importers. See the full breakdown on the iron and steel page.

The month-to-month swing is large. Imports were $533.5m in July, dropped to $365.9m in August and rebounded to $516.8m in September. Almost all of the change came from two headings:

Steel scrap: 428,000 tonnes for local mills

Scrap is the raw material for Pakistan's induction furnaces and rebar mills, and it is the single biggest steel import. In September importers brought in about 428,000 tonnes worth $244.1 million, up from 344,000 tonnes in August and 407,000 tonnes in July. The number of scrap importers held steady at around 400 each month.

Unlike most of Pakistan's imports, scrap comes mainly from the West and the Gulf:

• United States: $51.7m (21.2%)
• United Kingdom: $50.0m (20.5%)
• United Arab Emirates: $34.4m (14.1%)
• Netherlands: $23.3m (9.6%)

The busiest named loading ports were Jebel Ali, London Gateway and Rotterdam. On arrival, scrap goes overwhelmingly to Port Qasim: 83% of the largest scrap line by value was cleared there, all by sea. See steel scrap imports for every country and port.

Hot-rolled flat steel: China leads, Japan and Indonesia return

Hot-rolled flat steel (heading 7208), the coil and plate that local re-rollers and pipe and tube makers process, more than doubled to $182.9 million in September, about 333,000 tonnes. In August only 154,000 tonnes came in.

China supplied $110.5m, followed by Japan ($34.6m), Indonesia ($22.6m) and Iran ($9.5m). Japan and Indonesia were almost absent in August. The main loading ports were Bayuquan and Caofeidian in China and Cigading in Indonesia. Most of it was cleared at Karachi ($127.9m), with $37.8m at Port Qasim and smaller amounts across the Iran border at Panjgur and Gabd. See hot-rolled flat steel imports.

What duty is paid on imported steel?

Across all iron and steel, importers paid an effective 21.6% of assessed value in September, below the 27.8% average for all imports. Sales tax was the largest part at 15.8%, with regulatory duty at 2.0%, withholding income tax at 2.2% and customs duty at only 0.7%.

• Steel scrap: about 18.7% in total, including 2.8% regulatory duty and almost no customs duty
• Hot-rolled flat steel: about 20.2%, made up of sales tax and withholding tax, with no customs duty recorded
• Coated flat steel (7210): about 39.7%, roughly double the rate on scrap and coil

These are the amounts actually paid in September 2026, not the tariff schedule. Individual consignments can differ, and rates change with each budget, so confirm the current position with your clearing agent. Compare any product in the import duty finder.

What it means for traders and freight

Scrap and hot-rolled coil moving up together suggests mills and re-rollers restocking after a weak August, rather than a single large order. For freight, that is heavy, low-value cargo: bulk and break-bulk scrap from Europe, the US and the Gulf into Port Qasim, and coil from northern China into Karachi. Iron and steel split almost evenly between the two ports in September ($251m at Karachi and $249m at Port Qasim). Watch October's figures to see whether the rebound holds.

Frequently asked questions

Source: Pakistan Customs records for September 2026, aggregated by PakTradeStats. Figures based on fewer than three traders are withheld. See our methodology.