February Apparent Steel Supply at 8.8 Million Tons

The net trade balance between U.S. steel imports and exports was a surplus of 1,672,615 tons imported in February, down from 2,047,892 tons from the prior month, and down from 1,894,327 tons one year ago. Foreign steel imports accounted for 23.4 percent of apparent steel supply in February, down from 25.7 percent last month, and down from 24.7 percent one year ago.

Compared to the prior month when apparent steel supply was 9,158,850 tons, February supply decreased by 384,938 tons or 4.2 percent. This was due to a decrease in domestic shipments of 110,731 tons or 1.5 percent, and a decrease in finished imports of 300,038 tons or 12.7 percent. Total exports fell 25,830 tons or 3.1 percent, slightly negating the overall decrease in apparent steel supply.

The table below shows year-to-date totals for each statistic over the last five years.

To see an interactive graphic of our Apparent Steel Supply history (example below), 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.