March steel shipments down

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that for the month of March 2009, United States steel mills shipped 4,138,000 net tons, a 54.8 percent decrease from the 9,158,000 net tons shipped in March 2008 and a 4.2 percent decrease from the 4,320,000 net tons shipped in the previous month, February 2009.

A year-to-year comparison of year-to-date shipments shows the following changes within major market classifications: service centers and distributors, down 54.9 percent; automotive, down 55.2 percent; construction and contractors’ products, down 56.0 percent; and oil and gas, down 48.4 percent.