US November steel shipments up 10.3 percent



15 January 2018

Steel shipments across the United States rose 10.3 percent to 7.4 million tons in November, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

It was a 10.3 percent increase over the 6.72 million tons shipped in November 2016 but a 3.8 percent decrease from the 7.7 million tons shipped the previous month.

Shipments are a key metric measuring the health of the steel industry because they reflect the amount of steel actually sold to customers.

In November, shipments of cold-rolled sheets rose 1 percent, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Shipments of hot rolled sheets declined by 3 percent while hot dipped galvanized sheets and strip dropped by 4 percent.

Through the end of November, domestic steel mills shipped 83 million tons of metal, a 5.3 percent increase over the 79.3 million tons shipped during the first 11 months of 2016.

Last year, the United States produced an estimated 90.1 million tons. The World Steel Association estimates that the United States is usually the fourth biggest steel-producing country in the world after China, Japan and India.

Source: THE TIMES