February steel shipments up 3.1 percent

Washington, DC— The American Iron and Steel Institute reported that for the month of February 2006, United States steel mills shipped 8,937,000 net tons, a 3.1 percent increase from the 8,662,000 net tons shipped in February 2005, and a 0.2 percent increase from the 8,918,000 net tons shipped in the previous month.

A year-to-year comparison of year-to-date shipments showed the following changes within major market classifications: service centers and distributors, down 3.3 percent; automotive, up 14.8 percent; construction and contractors’ products, up 20.3 percent; oil and gas, up 8.3 percent; machinery, industrial equipment and tools, up 11.2 percent; appliances, utensils and cutlery, down 3.9 percent; containers, packaging and shipping materials, down 1.4 percent; and electrical equipment, up 3.0 percent.