Steel Products Prices North America
January 16, 2020
November Apparent Steel Supply Slips to Three-Year Low
Written by Brett Linton
Apparent U.S. steel supply slipped to 8.4 million net tons in November, according to data from the American Iron and Steel Institute and U.S. Department of Commerce. November supply is now at a three-year low, the lowest seen since November 2016 when supply was 8.1 million tons. Apparent steel supply, a proxy for demand, is determined by adding domestic steel shipments and finished U.S. steel imports, then subtracting total U.S. steel exports.
November apparent supply saw a 748,000 ton decrease (8.2 percent) compared to the same month one year ago. This change was primarily due to a 595,000 ton decrease in finished imports and a 167,000 ton decrease in domestic shipments.
