The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that for the month of January 2009, U.S. steel mills shipped 4,576,000 net tons, a 50.5% decrease from the 9,246,000 net tons shipped in January 2008 and a 0.8% decrease from the 4,613,000 net tons shipped in the previous month, December 2008.
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%; automotive, down 58.3%; construction and contractors’ products, down 59.6%; and oil and gas, down 20.2%.
