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October 2004

Steel Shipments Up 10.5% from 2003

Washington, DC— The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that for the month of July 2004, U.S. steel mills shipped 9,361,000 net tons, an 11.1 percent increase from the 8,424,000 net tons shipped in July 2003, and a 3.2 percent decrease from the 9,671,000 net tons shipped in the previous month, June 2004. For the first seven months of 2004, steel shipments were 66,925,000 net tons, representing a 10.5 percent increase from the 60,564,000 net tons shipped during the same period in 2003.

A comparison of shipments shows the following changes within major market classifications: service centers and distributors, up 4.6 percent; automotive, up 6.2 percent; construction and contractors’ products, up 11.1 percent; oil and gas, up 11.8 percent; machinery, industrial equipment and tools, up 18.2 percent; appliances, utensils and cutlery, up 4.3 percent; containers, packaging and shipping materials, up 0.8 percent; and electrical equipment, down 5.6 percent.