SMU Data and Models
October 15, 2017
Demand for Steel Sheet Continues to Expand
Written by Peter Wright
Demand for steel sheet products continued to expand through August. This report summarizes total steel supply by product from 2003 through August 2017 and year-on-year changes. It then compares domestic mill shipments with total supply to the market. It quantifies market direction by product and enables a side-by-side comparison of the degree to which imports have absorbed demand. Sources are the American Iron and Steel Institute and the Department of Commerce with analysis by Steel Market Update.
Apparent supply is a proxy for market demand. Demand momentum for sheet products in total was positive in three months through August, but individual products varied. Cold rolled, HDG and electrogalvanized were positive. Hot rolled was slightly negative and other metallic coated (mainly Galvalume), which continued to have very strong growth, slowed.
