Apparent steel supply jumps to 21-month high in May

The volume of finished steel entering the US market, dubbed ‘apparent steel supply,’ ticked up 3% from April to May according to SMU analysis of Department of Commerce and the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) data.

Following a strong March and April, apparent supply rose further in May to 8.90 million short tons (st). This is now the highest monthly supply level seen since August 2022 and 5% greater than the average monthly rate of the past year (8.44 million st). We calculate apparent supply by combining domestic steel mill shipments and finished US steel imports, then deduct total US 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.