diff --git a/cadquery/occ_impl/importers/__init__.py b/cadquery/occ_impl/importers/__init__.py
index f3dacfcd2..51eeb26e3 100644
--- a/cadquery/occ_impl/importers/__init__.py
+++ b/cadquery/occ_impl/importers/__init__.py
@@ -83,15 +83,9 @@ def importBin(fileName: str) -> "cq.Workplane":
     return cq.Workplane("XY").newObject([shape])
 
 
-# Loads a STEP file into a CQ.Workplane object
-def importStep(fileName: str, unit: UnitLiterals = "MM") -> "cq.Workplane":
+def _importStep(fileName: str, unit: UnitLiterals = "MM") -> list["Shape"]:
     """
-    Accepts a file name and loads the STEP file into a cadquery Workplane
-
-    :param fileName: The path and name of the STEP file to be imported
-    :param unit: Sets the target OpenCASCADE unit - OCCT scales from the file's
-    declared unit to this unit. Default "MM".
-    :type unit: UnitLiterals
+    Private helper for implementing different STEP importers.
     """
 
     # Set the target cascade unit - OCCT scales from the file's declared unit to this unit
@@ -105,16 +99,23 @@ def importStep(fileName: str, unit: UnitLiterals = "MM") -> "cq.Workplane":
     for i in range(reader.NbRootsForTransfer()):
         reader.TransferRoot(i + 1)
 
-    occ_shapes = []
-    for i in range(reader.NbShapes()):
-        occ_shapes.append(reader.Shape(i + 1))
+    rv = [Shape.cast(reader.Shape(i + 1)) for i in range(reader.NbShapes())]
+
+    return rv
+
 
-    # Make sure that we extract all the solids
-    solids = []
-    for shape in occ_shapes:
-        solids.append(Shape.cast(shape))
+# Loads a STEP file into a CQ.Workplane object
+def importStep(fileName: str, unit: UnitLiterals = "MM") -> "cq.Workplane":
+    """
+    Accepts a file name and loads the STEP file into a cadquery Workplane
+
+    :param fileName: The path and name of the STEP file to be imported
+    :param unit: Sets the target OpenCASCADE unit - OCCT scales from the file's
+    declared unit to this unit. Default "MM".
+    :type unit: UnitLiterals
+    """
 
-    return cq.Workplane("XY").newObject(solids)
+    return cq.Workplane("XY").newObject(_importStep(fileName, unit))
 
 
 def importDXF(
diff --git a/cadquery/occ_impl/shapes.py b/cadquery/occ_impl/shapes.py
index 86af4afe9..1e1d62139 100644
--- a/cadquery/occ_impl/shapes.py
+++ b/cadquery/occ_impl/shapes.py
@@ -605,6 +605,26 @@ def importBin(cls, f: str | BytesIO) -> Shape:
 
         return cls.cast(s)
 
+    @classmethod
+    def importStep(cls, fileName: str, unit: UnitLiterals = "MM") -> Shape:
+        """
+        Import shape from a STEP file.
+
+        :param fileName: Path to the STEP file to import.
+        :param unit: Sets the target OpenCASCADE unit - OCCT scales from the file's
+            declared unit to this unit. Default "MM".
+        :type unit: UnitLiterals
+        """
+
+        from .importers import _importStep
+
+        shapes = _importStep(fileName, unit)
+
+        if not shapes:
+            raise ValueError(f"No shape found in {fileName}")
+
+        return shapes[0] if len(shapes) == 1 else Compound.makeCompound(shapes)
+
     def geomType(self) -> Geoms:
         """
         Gets the underlying geometry type.
diff --git a/tests/test_shapes.py b/tests/test_shapes.py
index 3309093d6..f0509bb9d 100644
--- a/tests/test_shapes.py
+++ b/tests/test_shapes.py
@@ -259,6 +259,63 @@ def test_bin_import_export():
         Shape.importBin(BytesIO())
 
 
+def test_step_import_export(tmp_path):
+
+    b = box(1, 1, 1)
+
+    fileName = str(tmp_path / "box.step")
+
+    b.exportStep(fileName)
+
+    r = Shape.importStep(fileName)
+
+    assert r.isValid()
+    assert r.ShapeType() == "Solid"
+    assert r.Volume() == approx(1)
+
+    with raises(Exception):
+        Shape.importStep(str(tmp_path / "does_not_exist.step"))
+
+
+def test_step_import_no_shape(tmp_path):
+
+    # a syntactically valid STEP file that has no shape data in it
+    fileName = str(tmp_path / "no_shape.step")
+
+    with open(fileName, "w") as f:
+        f.write(
+            "ISO-10303-21;\n"
+            "HEADER;\n"
+            "FILE_DESCRIPTION((''),'2;1');\n"
+            "FILE_NAME('empty','2024-01-01T00:00:00',(''),(''),'','','');\n"
+            "FILE_SCHEMA(('AUTOMOTIVE_DESIGN { 1 0 10303 214 3 1 1 }'));\n"
+            "ENDSEC;\n"
+            "DATA;\n"
+            "ENDSEC;\n"
+            "END-ISO-10303-21;\n"
+        )
+
+    with raises(ValueError):
+        Shape.importStep(fileName)
+
+
+def test_step_import_multiple_roots(tmp_path):
+
+    b1 = box(1, 1, 1)
+    b2 = box(1, 1, 1).moved(3, 0, 0)
+
+    fileName = str(tmp_path / "boxes.step")
+
+    compound(b1, b2).exportStep(fileName)
+
+    r = Shape.importStep(fileName)
+
+    assert r.isValid()
+    assert r.ShapeType() == "Compound"
+    assert r.Volume() == approx(2)
+    assert len(list(r)) == 2
+
+
 def test_sample():
 
     e = ellipse(10, 1)