May Apparent Steel Supply Surpasses 9 Million Tons, at a 16-Month High

May apparent steel supply rose 340,000 tons over April to 9.11 million net tons, according to the latest U.S. Department of Commerce and American Iron and Steel Institute data. This is now the highest suppy level seen since January 2020, surpassing the March 2021 recent high of 8.96 million tons. May supply is up by 2.51 million tons compared to the same month in 2020 (recall that April and May of 2020 were the two lowest levels seen in the last 10 years).

Apparent steel supply, a proxy for demand, is determined by combining domestic steel mill shipments and finished U.S. steel imports, then deducting total U.S. steel exports.

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.