April steel shipments up 6.3 percent from last year

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that for the month of April 2008, United States steel mills shipped 9,403,000 net tons, a 6.3 percent increase from the 8,849,000 net tons shipped in April 2007 and a 2.7 percent increase from the 9,158,000 net tons shipped in the previous month, March 2008.

A year-to-year comparison of year-to-date shipments shows the following changes within major market classifications: service centers and distributors, up 4.4 percent; automotive, down 2.2 percent; construction and contractors’ products, down 2.9 percent; and oil and gas, up 7.4 percent.