December steel shipments up

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that for the month of December 2009, United States steel mills shipped 6,035,000 net tons, an 11.3 percent increase from the 5,424,000 net tons shipped in the previous month, November 2009, and a 30.8 percent increase from the 4,613,000 net tons shipped in December 2008.

A month-to-month comparison of shipments shows the following changes: hot rolled sheet, up 21 percent; hot dipped galvanized sheet and strip, up 6 percent; and cold rolled sheet, up 3 percent.