Apparent Steel Supply at 6+ Year High

Apparent steel supply for October 2014 was 10,954,832 net tons, the highest monthly figure we have seen since the beginning of the Great Recession. Apparent steel supply is calculated by adding domestic shipments and finished US imports and subtracting total US exports.

October supply represents a 1,509,671 ton or 16.0 percent increase compared to the same month one year ago. This is primarily due to the massive spike in 2014 imports, with total October imports up 43.2 percent or 1,340,208 tons over October 2013 tonnage. Domestic shipments and finished imports also increased over levels one year prior, up 2.7 and 50.9 percent respectively, while exports were down 10.9 percent. The net trade balance between imports and exports was a surplus of 3,431,182 tons in October, an increase of 74.4 percent from the same month last year.

Brett Linton

Brett Linton is a digital operations 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.