April steel shipments down

The American Iron and Steel Institute reported that for the month of April 2009, United States steel mills shipped 4,042,000 net tons, a 57.0 percent decrease from the 9,403,000 net tons shipped in April 2008 and a 2.3 percent decrease from the 4,138,000 net tons shipped in the previous month, March 2009.

A year-to-year comparison of year-to-date shipments shows the following changes within major market classifications: service centers and distributors, down 56.2 percent; automotive, down 55.4 percent; construction and contractors’ products, down 55.0 percent; and oil and gas, down 54.9 percent.