If you're playing with 1 or 2 players, you have enough steel to craft the things you need (save maybe 4x4 or full steel armor) from traders, looting, and wrenching....maybe not EVERYTHING, but you shouldn't have everything.4-players. Everyone wants everything crafted. It adds up.
Our group has already used about 5000 Steel Bars, I'd guesstimate. As the Miner I kept a fairly close eye on our consumption of Iron -> Steel. And we are on day 33.
If you're playing with a full 4 players, and someone isn't investing into INT to 10 as a priority....and then complaining that the amount of steel the game provides for scavenging isn't enough...I don't know what to tell you...
...wait...yes I do.
If you need some of something, use a workaround. If you CONSISTENTLY need a LOT of something, spec into it.
You want to make a couple steel mods, a single steel tool, maybe save up for a motorcycle? you can get the steel if you look for it.
You want to deck out a full 4 player team with top tier loot/mods/armor, or build a giant steel base? Then you need to get lucky on RNG or spec into int 10 engineering 5.
its the same for mining, looting, sneaking or fighting at max proficiency. You want to do it a little bit? make do. You want to do it consistently a LOT? spec it.