Steel Products Prices North America

April Apparent Steel Supply Up 9.1%

Written by Brett Linton

June 7, 2014

Apparent steel supply for April was 9,925,287 net tons, the highest figure Steel Market Update has in its recorded history beginning in January 2010. April supply represents an 831,098 ton or 9.1 percent increase compared to the same month one year ago. This is primarily due to the massive spike in April imports, up 36.5 percent or nearly 1,000,000 net tons over April 2013 tonnage. Steel imports captured 27.91 percent of the total U.S. market during the month of April.

Domestic shipments, finished imports, and total exports also increased over levels one year prior. The net trade balance between imports and exports was a surplus of 2,658,304 tons in April, an increase of 56.6 percent from the same month last year, and the highest figure in our 4+ year recorded history.

When compared to last month when apparent steel supply was at 9,753,954 tons, April supply increased by 171,333 tons or 1.8 percent. This is due to a decrease in domestic shipments but an increase in finished imports and total exports.

On a year to date basis, the 2014 YTD averages are all above what we saw during in the previous two years, with the exception of total exports. They are significantly higher than the averages we saw in 2010 and 2011.

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{amchart id=”120″ Apparent Steel Supply- Domestic Shipments, Semi-Fin Imports, Exports}

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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