June steel shipments down 1.8 percent from May 2005

Washington, DC— The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that for the month of June 2005, U.S. steel mills shipped 8,229,000 net tons, a 14.9 percent decrease from the 9,671,000 net tons shipped in June 2004, and a 1.8 percent decrease from the 8,387,000 net tons shipped in May 2005.

A year-to-year comparison shows the following changes: service centers and distributors, down 3.7 percent; automotive, down 1.8 percent; construction and contractors’ products, down 0.2 percent; oil and gas, up 11.8 percent; machinery, industrial equipment and tools, down 1.9 percent; appliances, utensils and cutlery, down 2.8 percent; containers, packaging and shipping materials, down 15.7 percent; and electrical equipment, down 6.7 percent.