Steel Products Prices North America

April Apparent Steel Supply Down 7.2% Over One Year Ago

June 5, 2015

According to the latest data released from the US Department of Commerce and the American Iron and Steel Institute, apparent steel supply for the month of April 2015 was 9,212,032 net tons. Apparent steel supply is calculated by adding domestic steel shipments and finished US steel imports and subtracting total US steel exports.

April supply represents a 713,255 ton or 7.2 percent decrease compared to the same month one year ago. This is attributed to a 1,147,232 ton or 13.9 percent decline in domestic shipments, and a decline in total exports of 235,353 tons or 21.8 percent. Finished imports increased 198,624 tons or 7.2 percent over levels one year ago. The net trade balance between imports and exports was a surplus of 2,656,967 tons in April 2015, 1,337 tons less than that of April 2014.

SMU Note: Our Premium Level apparent steel supply analysis goes into more detail as we provide data on apparent steel supply for flat and long products. We plan to publish this analysis later this week.

When compared to last month when apparent steel supply was at 9,575,903 tons, April supply decreased by 363,871 tons or 3.8 percent. The month over month decline is from a 182,929 ton or 2.5 percent decrease in domestic shipments and a 232,600 ton or 7.3 percent decrease in finished imports. Total exports were down by 51,658 tons or 5.8 percent over the previous month.

On a year-to-date basis, the 2015 averages are mixed in comparison to previous years. Since the 2015 averages are only based off of four months, and the previous years are over the entire year, the graphic below should be take with a grain of salt until we get further into 2015.

To see an interactive graphic of our Apparent Steel Supply History, visit the Apparent Steel Supply page in the Analysis section of the SMU website. If you need any assistance logging in or navigating the website, contact us at info@SteelMarketUpdate.com or 800-432-3475.

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.