According to the latest report published by the association of European steel and metals distributors EUROMETAL, steel sales of European distributors in 2010 recovered strongly for products linked with expanding end-user sectors like automotive, consumer durables and mechanical engineering.
According to the European Association of Steel Service Centers (EASSC), EU-27 flat steel sales rose by 26 percent year on year in 2010, after a slump of 27 percent in 2009 compared to 2008. Meanwhile, according to European Steel Stockholding Distribution (DISMET), flat steel sales in the EU-27 increased by 21 percent year on year in 2010. Flat steel sales of steel distributors in the EU-27 were boosted by restocking trends in the main industrial end-user sectors.
On the long steel products' side, DISMET said sales were negatively influenced by depressed demand coming from the European construction sector, amplified by destocking by steel end-users in the construction sector. Accordingly, long product sales decreased by six percent year on year during 2010.
Consolidated sales of all steel products according to DISMET improved by nine percent in 2010 when compared to 2009.
Steel Sales EU-27 |
2009/2008 change |
2010/2009 change |
Steel Stockholding distribution |
-27% |
+9% |
Of which: |
|
|
Long steel products |
-26% |
-6% |
Flat steel products |
-25% |
+21% |
|
|
|
Flat steel service center distribution |
-27% |
+26% |