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    February 27, 2026

    US apparent steel supply recovers in December but remains low

    Written by Brett Linton

    The amount of finished steel that entered the US market in December recovered 7% from the near five-year low recorded one month prior, according to SMU’s analysis of recently released Department of Commerce and American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) data. Dubbed apparent steel supply, this measure is calculated by combining domestic mill shipments and finished US steel imports, then subtracting total US exports.

    December supply increased by 548,000 short tons (st) from November to 8.16 million st, the third-lowest monthly rate of 2025 (Figure 1). This comes one month after supply fell to 7.61 million st, the lowest measure recorded since February 2021. The December recovery was primarily driven by an increase in domestic mill shipments, coupled with a rise in finished imports and a slowdown in 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.

    Read more from Brett Linton

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