Below is a link to a government pdf file that is easily findable on the internet.
https://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/iron_ore/mcs-2013-feore.pdf
"The United States was estimated to have produced and consumed 2% of the world’s iron ore output."
"Events, Trends, and Issues: U.S. iron ore production was slightly less in 2012 owing to reduced steel consumption and destocking. In Cedar City, UT, the former Mountain Lion Mine returned to production and was renamed the Iron Mountain Project, selling crushed iron ore to China under contract. Construction of an iron nugget plant, planned for production in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, was determined to be not commercially viable. However, after closing down in June $60 million was invested in the Empire Mine, bringing it back into production in August. It was expected to remain in operation until at least 2015."
" Declining demand in China led to drops in spot prices for iron ore, and the delay, cancellation, or reorganization of major production improvement projects worldwide."
"Slight price rebounds in the fourth quarter were expected to be maintained through year-end of 2012 because of supply constraints from decreased exports; 1.6 million tons of output losses from worker strikes at Sishen Mine, South Africa; 1 million tons of shipment losses resulting from protests at Carajas Mine, Brazil: and 5 million tons per month of export losses owing to mining bans in Goa, India. This decline in supply led to prices increasing by approximately 30% in October 2012. It was estimated that in 2012, China imported more than 60% of the world’s total iron ore trade, the Republic of Korea reported increases in imports of 15%, and Japan’s imports fell by 4.4%. International iron ore imports are indicators of iron ore consumption, demonstrating that iron ore consumption in Asia is currently a key factor for the expansion of the international iron ore industry. Chinese companies are investing in all phases of mining and production, to include the takeover of a major iron ore producer in South Africa, for increased production of higher grade ore by Chinese mining groups. Despite overall weak iron ore prices, several major Australian producers planned to continue expansions of mines and shipping ports.
U.S. resources are estimated to be about 27 billion tons of iron contained within 110 billion tons of ore. U.S. resources are mainly low-grade taconite-type ores from the Lake Superior district that require beneficiation and agglomeration prior to commercial use. World resources are estimated to exceed 230 billion tons of iron contained within greater than 800 billion tons of crude ore.
We are going to have multinational trade wars starting from a tariff on steel and aluminum that Our great deal maker and promise keeper sees as the answer to meeting that particular pie-in-the-sky promise.
The United States imported just shy of $1 billion in Chinese steel in 2017, or 3.35 percent (by weight) of the United States’ nearly $30 billion annual steel import market, according to Commerce Department data.
More important than how much do we get from China, is what do WE export, to China, and all over the world.
We export Natural gas, Coal, Oil, and of course, large industrial and technological jobs.
Our Fortune 500 companies have to import our Apple products and GM vehicles back to the USA because the megamonied corporations don't like paying the hired help.
Sort of like the number of immigrants, documented or not, that are providing the maid service and restaurant service and lawn service and golf service at the USA based Trump hotels and resort areas. And there are more of those in other countries.
Trump Plaza Tower: Ramat, Israel
Trump International Hotel & Tower: Vancouver
Trump Towers: Istanbul,
Trump World: Seoul, Korea
Trump International Hotel and Tower: Toronto
The Palm Trump International Hotel and Tower: Dubai
Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower: Panama City, Panama
Trump Ocean Resort: Baja, Mexico
Trump at Cap Cana: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Trump Tower Manila: Manila, Philippines
Trump Tower: Mumbai, India
Trump Tower: Pune, India
Some of the Trump sport coats were made in India. Labels show suits made in Indonesia and Mexico. Trump eyeglasses are made in China. Trump expanded the Trump Home brand internationally, including in Turkey. Trump Home brand has a production facility in Turkey. Components of the Trump by Dorya furniture were made in Germany, particularly the brass and stainless pieces.Several Trump Home items are listed as made in China or imported from China — mirrors, ceramic vases, wall decorations, kitchen items and lighting fixtures. (Information is from a fact check of a democrat statement made in the last presidential race published by the Washington Post)
And we know that Ivanka's fashions are made in Asian countries and liquors were made in other countries and supplies for hotels were made wherever was cheapest.
Will this tariff on iron and steel hurt the current President and his family?
Who know's, certainly he doesn't. But it is a lot harder to hurt a person sitting on billions of dollars than it is to hurt a person just trying to keep themselves in groceries, transportation, home energy and a job.
The steel industry employees about 150,000 people directly, and indirectly another 1 million.
Bauxite is the only commercial ore of aluminium, and 96 percent of bauxite consumed in the US is used to produce aluminum (metallurgical grade).[2] However, since 1981, none of the bauxite mined in the US was used to make metallic aluminium. US bauxite is instead used for abrasives, high-temperature refractory materials, and as a high-strength proppant for hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells.
So, we are dependent upon imports for metallurgical grade aluminum for almost 50 years. It is used in cans, foil, making construction parts, automobile parts, etc, etc, etc.
So, if we put a tariff on imported iron and aluminum, all our workers dependent upon this import risk being without jobs. plastic bottles will replace cans, barbecues will be on bare grills, cling wrap will be the new choice--all things that can happen, and for what.
Are any of those aluminum miners that did metal grade still trying to find a job?
My little town just tore down the last bit of steel making industry, an eyesore covering many acres of prime real estate, and the town is going to clean it up and use it for other things.
That is progress--right or wrong.
That is reality--change is reality. And the people currently in jobs and businesses and industries that export what they make, likely more than 1,150,000 people, are now about to find out what happens when someone fulfills a truly thoughtless and unrealistic campaign promise.
