August steel shipments down 3.9 percent

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that for the month of August 2008, United States steel mills shipped 8,860,000 net tons, a 3.9 percent decrease from the 9,209,000 net tons shipped in August 2007 and a 3.6 percent decrease from the 9,175,000 net tons shipped in the previous month, July 2008.

A year-to-year comparison of year-to-date shipments shows the following changes within major market classifications: service centers and distributors, up 6.0 percent; automotive, down 4.6 percent; construction and contractors’ products, down 2.4 percent; and oil and gas, up 5.5 percent.