Steel shipments up in January

According to data released Thursday from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), US mills shipped a total of 8'918'000 nt of steel in January 2006, a 1.4 percent year-on-year increase from the 8'791'000 nt shipped in January 2005, and a 4.8 percent increase from the 8'513'000 nt shipped in December 2005. AISI's data shows the following year-on-year changes in year-to-date shipments from the following sectors: service centers and distributors, down 6.1 percent; automotive, up 15.3 percent; construction and contractors' products, up 30.4 percent; oil and gas, up 6.9 percent; machinery, industrial equipment and tools, up 7.4 percent; appliances, utensils and cutlery, down 3.4 percent; containers, packaging and shipping materials, up 3.1 percent; and electrical equipment, down 4.0 percent. AISI is comprised of 33 companies and 118 associate and affiliate members which make up 75 percent of the US and North American steel capacity.