The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Thursday that for the month of May 2009, US steel mills shipped 4,282,000 net tons, which is a 52.5 percent decrease from the 9,008,000 nt shipped in May 2008 and a 5.9 percent increase from the 4,042,000 nt shipped in April 2009.
A year-to-year comparison of year-to-date shipments shows the following changes within major market classifications: service centers and distributors, down 55.9 percent; automotive, down 56.2 percent; construction and contractors’ products, down 53.3 percent; and oil and gas, down 60.7 percent.