The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Wednesday that during the month of February 2007, US steel mills shipped 8,350,000 nt, 6.5 percent less than the 8,937,000 nt shipped in February 2006 and 3.2 percent less than the 8,614,000 nt shipped in January 2007.
AISI reported that a year-on-year comparison of year-to-date shipments shows the following changes within major market classifications: service centers and distributors, down 9.7 percent; automotive, down 4.6 percent; construction and contractors' products, up 2.2 percent; oil and gas, down 8.1 percent; machinery, industrial equipment and tools, down 10.1 percent; appliances, utensils and cutlery, down 6.6 percent; containers, packaging and shipping materials, down 7.4 percent; and electrical equipment, down 16.2 percent.
AISI's member companies represent over 75 percent of both the US and North American steel capacity.