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U.S.,
Canadian Service Center Shipments Up
Shipments of steel products from U.S. and Canadian metals service
centers, reversing recent trends of monthly declines, rose in May
on a year-over-year basis, according to the Metals Service Center
Institute.
May
shipments of aluminum products rose for the 17th consecutive month
at U.S. service centers, and rose modestly at Canadian service centers
for a second month.
U.S.
service centers shipped nearly 4.58 million tons of steel products
in May, nearly identical to April 2005 shipments and an increase
of 0.3 percent from May 2004. For the first five months of 2005,
steel product shipments of 23.2 million tons were down 3.7 percent
from the same period in 2004.
Service
center steel products inventories totaled nearly 15.5 million tons
at the end of May, an increase of 18.6 percent over May 2004 and
a decrease of 1.8 percent from April 2005. At the current shipping
rate, this represents 3.4 months of steel supply, an increase of
18.2 percent from a year ago but no change from last month.
Aluminum
shipments from U.S. service centers totaled 96,300 tons in May,
an increase of 8.7 percent from May 2004. Year-to-date shipments
of 488,700 tons were up 7.6 percent from the same five-month period
in 2004.
At
the end of May, inventories of aluminum products at U.S. service
centers were 375,600 tons, an increase of 20.3 percent from the
end of May 2004, and essentially flat with April 2005. At current
shipping rates, this represents a 3.9-month supply, unchanged from
last month.
Canadian
service centers shipped 362,900 tons of steel products in May, an
increase of 2.3 percent from May 2004, reversing an eight-month
trend of year-over-year monthly steel shipment declines. Year-to-date
shipments of nearly 1.76 million tons of steel products were down
7.6 percent from the same five months in 2004.
Steel
product inventories were 1.25 million tons at the end of May, an
increase of 15.5 percent from May 2004, but a decrease of nearly
5 percent from April 2005. At current shipping rates, steel inventories
at Canadian service centers represent a 3.4-month supply, an increase
of 13 percent from a year ago but a decline of about 8 percent from
April.
Aluminum
shipments from Canadian service centers of 9,900 tons were 3.3 percent
higher than those of May 2004. Aluminum shipments for the first
five months of 2005 were up 3.4 percent, to 48,000 tons.
Inventories
at the end of May were 32,000 tons, an increase of 25.4 percent
from the same month in 2004, but a decrease of 2.3 percent from
April. At current shipping rates, Canada’s aluminum inventories
represent a 3.2-month supply, an increase of 13.3 percent from a
year ago and 2.6 percent from April.
AISI:
Steel Imports Remain Above 2004;
Prices Dip Over 20%
The United States imported a total of 2,609,000 net tons of steel
in May, including 2,149,000 net tons of finished steel, according
to preliminary Census Bureau data reported by the American Iron
and Steel Institute.
While
imports in these categories were down 15.3 and 11.4 percent, respectively,
compared with April 2005, imports of several key products increased
significantly, including reinforcing bars (up 44 percent), wire
rod (up 30 percent), bars-light shapes (up 23 percent), plates cut-to-length
(up 11 percent) and line pipe (up 11 percent).
Year-to-date
total and finished imports through May were up 15.1 and 16.3 percent,
respectively, compared with the same period in 2004. Finished imports
grew significantly in several key product categories. Large increases
occurred in sheet and strip, all other metallic coated (up 104 percent),
plate in coil (up 67 percent), tin plate (up 64 percent), plates
cut-to-length (up 62 percent), oil country tubular goods (up 59
percent), bars-cold finished (up 56 percent), cold-rolled sheet
(up 42 percent), galvanized hot-dipped sheet and strip (up 41 percent),
structural pipe and tubing (up 31 percent) and hot-rolled sheet
(up 16 percent).
U.S.
spot prices for hot- and cold-rolled sheet in May declined for the
eighth month in a row, according to data publicly reported by Purchasing
Magazine. The September 2004-May 2005 price declines for these products
were 29.2 and 22.6 percent, respectively.
IISI
Steel Production Up 10% in May
World crude steel production for the 61 countries reporting to the
International Iron and Steel Institute totaled 95.4 million metric
tons in May, a 10.3 percent increase over the same month of 2004.
World
crude steel production year-to-date of 456.7 million tons represents
an increase of 8.1 percent compared to the first five months of
2004.
China
was again the largest crude steel producing country with production
of 29.7 million tons in May. This represents an increase of 37.5
percent compared to May 2004. Total production for the Asian region
in May was 48.6 million tons, an increase of 22.9 percent vs. May
2004.
Total
crude steel production in China for the first five months of 2005
hit 136.2 million tons, an increase of 27.4 percent vs. the same
period in 2004.
Crude
steel production in the United States was 8.1 million tons in May,
a decrease of 2.8 percent compared to May 2004. Year-to-date U.S.
production of 40.1 million tons showed a slight 0.2 percent decline
vs. the first five months of 2004.
SSINA:
Stainless Imports on the Upswing
Total stainless steel imports of 182,350 tons in the first quarter
of 2005 represented a 37 percent increase over the same three-month
period in 2004. At the same time, U.S. consumption grew 7 percent,
to 628,854. Thus import penetration into the U.S. market grew by
6 percent to the 29 percent level, according to data from the Specialty
Steel Industry of North America, the trade association representing
the domestic industry.
SSINA
reports the following first-quarter data by product segment:
- Stainless
steel sheet/strip: Imports were 110,904 tons, a 34 percent increase,
while U.S. consumption was 459,377 tons, a 7 percent increase.
- Stainless
steel plate: Imports were 18,209 tons, a 19 percent increase,
while U.S. consumption was 68,089 tons, a 5 percent decrease.
- Stainless
steel bar: Imports were 29,898 tons, an 82 percent increase, while
U.S. consumption was 61,411 tons, a 31 percent increase.
- Stainless
steel rod: Imports were 12,421 tons, a 42 percent increase, while
U.S. consumption was 20,324 tons, an 11 percent increase.
- Stainless
steel wire: Imports were 10,918 tons, an 11 percent increase,
while U.S. consumption was 19,653 tons, a 5 percent decrease.
- Alloy tool
steel: Imports were 28,956 tons, a 53 percent increase, while
U.S. consumption and import penetration are not calculable.
- Electrical
steel: Imports were 23,726 tons, a 39 percent increase, while
U.S. consumption was 103,260 tons, a 7 percent increase.
CBSA:
Red Metal Shipments Off 7.5 Percent vs. 2004
Although total shipments of red metals by service centers in April
ranked behind those of March, the average daily shipping rate month-to-month
actually inched up 0.1 percent, according to data from the Copper
and Brass Servicenter Association.
The
comparison with last April, however, is not so rosy. Both total
shipments and the shipping rate were off 8 percent from the companion
month of 2004.
With one-third of the year completed, total service center shipments
of copper and brass were running 7.5 percent behind the same date
a year ago, CBSA reported. Total alloy shipments were down about
9 percent, while total copper shipments were off about 4 percent.
Alloy sheet (other than 200 series brass sheet) shows the largest
year-to-year decline—down 24.2 percent.
David
Waite of Commodity Risk Management Associates told the American
Copper Council’s recent conference that a correction in the
price of copper would occur later this year or early 2006 as production
of the metal moves into surplus.
AIST:
O’Hara to Lead AIST
Richard E. O’Hara, director of procurement and logistics at
Carpenter Specialty Alloys, Reading, Pa, has been elected president
of the Association for Iron & Steel Technology for 2005-2006.
He replaces out-going president Thomas C. Graham Jr., vice president
of T.C. Graham & Associates, Mason, Ohio. AIST announced its
new executive officers and board members during its annual exposition
in May.
Also
elected as officers were: Richard P. Teets of Steel Dynamics Inc.
as first vice president; Charles J. Messina of Praxair Metals Technologies
as second vice president; Andrew S. Harshaw of Dofasco Inc. as officer-at-large;
John J. Ferriola of Nucor Corp. as officer-at-large; John D. Lefler
of Mittal Steel USA as officer-at-large; Theodore F. Lyon of Hatch
Associates Inc. as treasurer; and Ronald E. Ashburn of AIST as secretary.
AIIS:
Imports Increase 9.6 Percent in April
Steel imports grew nearly 10 percent in April compared to March,
with semifinished products accounting for nearly two-thirds of the
increase, according to U.S. Department of Commerce data.
Imports
for the hot oil country tubular goods market also registered a significant
increase. Hot-rolled sheet, which has been in a period of inventory
adjustment, registered a decline in imports from March, based on
preliminary reporting.
“Current import order taking in many product lines continues
to reflect the extended inventory draw-down and relatively flat
prices in many steel markets,” says David Phelps, president
of the American Institute for International Steel, which represents
the interests of importers.
For
the year, imports in the first four months of 2005 were 22.8 percent
higher than in the same period of 2004. Imports in early 2004 were
depressed as a result of the cancellation of the Section 201 tariffs
in December 2003. The non-NAFTA pipeline for imports takes three
to five months to fill, Phelps notes.
Total
steel imports in April 2005 were 3.02 million tons compared to 2.76
million tons in March 2005—a 9.6 percent increase, and a 21.1
percent increase compared to April 2004. Year-to-date figures for
the first four months show imports increasing 22.8 percent compared
to 2004, or from 9.24 million tons in 2004 to 11.35 million tons
in 2005.
The
data show that semifinished imported slabs increased by 35.1 percent
in March 2005 as compared to March 2004. For the year-to-date period,
semifinished imports increased from 1.55 million tons in 2004 to
2.53 million tons in 2005, a 63.3 percent increase, AIIS reports.
Briefs
Nucor Corp. supports the formation of the new bipartisan
Senate Manufacturing Caucus, which will focus on exploring, publicizing
and solving the problems facing American manufacturing. “There
is an urgent need for this caucus to focus attention on the manufacturing
crisis in this country and coordinate unified congressional action,
without getting bogged down on industry-specific issues or worrying
about committee turf jurisdiction,” says Dan DiMicco, Nucor
vice chairman, president and chief executive officer. “The
caucus will look at the larger national and international issues
that challenge manufacturing in the United States, from unfair global
rules and trade practices to tax and regulatory policies that impact
the nation’s manufacturers.”
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