The European association of metals distributors and service centers EUROMETAL has announced that in the third quarter of 2011 overall steel sales of stockists in the European Union were down 6 percent quarter on quarter. In particular, long steel product sales decreased by 8 percent, while flat rolled sales dipped by 2 percent, both quarter on quarter.
Sales EU distribution |
|||
Sept/Aug variation (%) |
Q2/Q3 variation (%) |
H1 2011/2010 variation (%) |
|
Long products |
+20 |
-8 |
+10 |
Flat rolled |
+24 |
-2 |
-8 |
TOTAL* |
+20 |
-6 |
-1 |
According to the report, the quarterly decrease was mainly due to the seasonal factor. In the September alone, EUROMETAL recorded a sharp increase compared to August (up 20 percent), which lead stocks to decrease.
Steel Stocks EU distribution (days of sales) |
||||
Sept 2011 |
June 2011 |
March 2011 |
Sept 2010 |
|
Long products |
55 days |
58 days |
58 days |
57 days |
Flat rolled |
61 days |
62 days |
50 days |
59 days |
TOTAL* |
63 days |
65 days |
58 days |
62 days |