Prices
March 12, 2020
January Apparent Steel Supply Rises to 9.5 Million Tons
Written by Brett Linton
Apparent U.S. steel supply jumped to 9.5 million net tons in January, according to data from the American Iron and Steel Institute and U.S. Department of Commerce. January apparent supply is now on the high-side compared to the last few years, a nice recovery from November’s three-year low and other late-2019 lows. Apparent steel supply, a proxy for demand, is determined by adding domestic steel shipments and finished U.S. steel imports, then subtracting total U.S. steel exports.
January apparent supply is 372,000 tons (3.8 percent) lower than the same month one year ago. This change was due to an 817,000 ton decrease in finished imports, partially negated by a 456,000 ton increase in domestic shipments.
