July steel shipments up from last year

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that for the month of July 2008, United States steel mills shipped 9,175,000 net tons, a 3.8 percent increase from the 8,844,000 net tons shipped in July 2007 and a 0.4 percent increase from the 9,136,000 net tons shipped in June.

A year-to-year comparison of year-to-date shipments shows the following changes within major market classifications: service centers and distributors, up 5.8 percent; automotive, down 3.9 percent; construction and contractors’ products, down 1.2 percent; and oil and gas, up 5.4 percent.