Steel Products Prices North America

Apparent Steel Supply Steady at 8.6 Million Net Tons in December

Written by Brett Linton

February 11, 2014

Apparent steel supply for December was 8,662,212 net tons (NT), a 4.14 percent increase compared to the same month one year ago. This was due to a slight increase in domestic shipments and a decrease in exports. The net trade balance from the difference between imports and exports was a surplus of 1,635,411 net tons in December, an increase of 9.27 percent from one year prior. The graphic below gives a full comparison of December 2012 and 2013 figures.

When compared to last month when apparent steel supply was at 8,592,683 NT, December supply is slightly higher by 0.81 percent. Total imports decreased 8.91 month-over-month, but domestic shipments decreased by 3.31 percent, leaving apparent steel supply ultimately the same.

On a year to date basis, all of the 2013 YTD figures are very close to what we saw during in 2012 and significantly higher than 2010 and 2011 figures. The graphic below gives a full comparison of the average monthly figures for the last 4 years.

Brett Linton

Brett Linton is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.

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