Steel Products Prices North America

May Apparent Steel Supply Down 12.1% Over Last Year

July 12, 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 May 2015 was 9,069,541 net tons. Apparent steel supply is calculated by adding domestic steel shipments and finished US steel imports and subtracting total US steel exports.

May supply represents a 1,252,207 ton or 12.1 percent decrease compared to the same month one year ago. This is attributed to a 1,223,765 ton or 14.6 percent drop in domestic shipments, a decline in finished imports of 193,951 tons or 6.6 percent , and a decrease in total exports of 165,510 tons or 16.0 percent. The net trade balance between imports and exports was a surplus of 2,528,148 tons in May 2015, 469,595 tons less than that of May 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 Monday afternoon.

When compared to last month when apparent steel supply was at 9,212,032 tons, May supply decreased by 142,491 tons or 1.5 percent. The month over month decline is from a 204,109 ton or 6.9 percent decrease in finished imports and a 25,729 or 3.0 percent increase in total exports. An increase in domestic shipments of 87,347 tons or 1.2 percent helped lessen the decline.

The table below has been revised from the one we normally publish per member request; the monthly averages for each year are now calculated on a year to date basis. Each figure below is based off of January through May data for a more consistent comparison between years.

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.