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Shipments of U.S. steel and aluminum products showed year-over-year gains in February, while Canadian steel shipments also ticked forward during the month, according to the latest Metals Activity Report from Rolling Meadows, Ill.-based Metals Service Center Institute.

U.S. service centers shipped 3.3 million tons of steel products in February, up 5.2 percent from the same month last year, but down 5.6 percent from January. Year-to-date shipments of 6.8 million tons were 4.7 percent higher than the total through the first two months of 2017.

Service center steel inventories totaled 7.7 million tons at the end of the month, a year-over-year increase of 5.4 percent and down slightly from January. At February shipping rates, that represents 2.4 months of supply, compared with 2.3 months last February.

U.S. service centers shipped 142,200 tons of aluminum products during the month, an 11.6 percent increase from the year-ago period, but 5.3 percent lower than January. Through February, full-year shipments of 292,300 tons were up 12.2 percent from last year.

U.S. service center inventories of aluminum products totaled 412,600 tons in February, an increase of 6.5 percent year over year and up 1.2 percent from the previous month. At February shipping rates, that represents 2.9 months of supply, down from 3.0 months in the year-ago period. 

Canadian service centers shipped 383,300 tons of steel products in February, up 4.8 percent from the same month last year, but down 6.5 percent from January. Year-to-date shipments increased 2.1 percent over last year’s total to 793,400 tons. 

Service center steel inventories in Canada totaled 1.1 million tons at the end of the month, a 1.9 percent decrease from last February and 0.5 percent lower than the prior month. At February shipping rates, that represents 3.0 months of supply, down from 3.2 months last year.

Canadian service centers shipped 9,300 tons of aluminum products during the month, up 0.6 percent from February 2017, but down 12.2 percent from January. Year-to-date aluminum shipments were down 0.7 percent year over year to 20,000 tons. 

Canadian inventories of aluminum products totaled 31,700 tons at the end of the month, up 0.2 percent from the year-ago period and even with the prior month. At February shipping rates, that represented 3.4 months of supply, even with last February.