The American Iron and Steel Instiute (AISI) reported Tuesday that during the month of April 2008, US steel mill shipments were up 6.3 percent from last year.
Mill shipments in April totaled 9,403,000 net tons (nt), compared to the 8,849,000 nt shipped in April 2007. April 2008 shipments were also up from the previous month - by 2.7 percent.
Year-to-date shipments show the following changes in shipments within major market classifications for the first four months of 2008 compared to the same period of the previous year: service centers and distributors, up 4.4 percent; automotive, down 2.2 percent; construction and contractors' products, down 2.9 percent; and oil and gas, up 7.4 percent.
AISI is comprised of 30 member companies and 138 associate and affiliate members, representing 75 percent of both US and North American steel capacity.