Steel shipments in the USA increased

Steel shipments by US factories grew significantly during the first month of 2020.
According to data published by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), in January 2020, steel shipments amounted to 8,535,755 net tonnes. This is 6.4% more than in the previous month. American steel mills shipped 8,021,250 tons in December 2019. In addition, shipments were up 5.6% from 8,079,757 net tonnes shipped in January last year.

Compared to December 2019, the largest increase in the volume of supplies was recorded. It was galvanized sheet and strip, which saw shipments up 13% month-on-month. Deliveries of cold rolled sheets and hot rolled sheets increased by 12% and 6%, respectively.

Meanwhile, domestic production of crude steel was 1,903,000 tonnes for the week ended March 7, 2020. The most recent data for the week shows a slight decline of 0.5% compared to the same period a year earlier. However, YTD adjusted production through March 7, 2020, at 18.253 million net tonnes, rose marginally by 0.6% over the corresponding period in 2019.