February Apparent Steel Supply at 14 Month Low

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 February 2015 is 8,968,831 net tons. Apparent steel supply is calculated by adding domestic steel shipments and finished US steel imports and subtracting total US steel exports.

February supply represents a 33,870 ton or 0.4 percent decrease compared to the same month one year ago. Although finished imports increased 633,441 tons (27.7 percent) and exports declined 25,472 tons (2.8 percent) during this period, it was all negated by a 692,784 ton (9.1 percent) drop in domestic shipments. The net trade balance between imports and exports was a surplus of 2,832,882 tons in February, an increase of 18.9 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.