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U.S. service center shipments of steel and aluminum products continued their up-and-down year, declining in April compared to both the previous month and April 2016, according to the latest Metals Activity Report from the Metals Service Center Institute, Rolling Meadows, Ill. Year-to-date shipments of all products except Canadian aluminum remain slightly ahead of last year’s pace.

U.S. service centers shipped 3.1 million tons of steel products in April, a decrease of 4.2 percent from the same month last year, and down 15.0 percent from March. Year-to-date shipments of 13.2 million tons were up 3.3 percent from 2016.

Service center steel inventories totaled 7.2 million tons at the end of the month, a decrease of 6.0 percent from last year, and down 0.3 percent from the previous month. At April shipping rates, that represented 2.3 months of supply, down from 2.4 months in 2016.

U.S. service centers shipped 127,500 tons of aluminum products in April, a decrease of 4.3 percent from the same month in 2016, and down 17.8 percent from the previous month. Full-year shipments increased 5.2 percent to 543,100 tons.

U.S. service center inventories of aluminum products totaled 380,300 tons at the end of the month, a decrease of 1.0 percent from 2016, and down 1.8 percent from March. At April shipping rates, that represented 3.0 months of supply, flat with the prior year.

Canadian service centers shipped 362,400 tons of steel products during the month, a decrease of 2.8 percent from the same month in 2016, and down 14.0 percent from the previous month. Year-to-date, shipments increased 0.6 percent to 1.6 million tons.

Service center steel inventories in Canada totaled 1.1 million tons at the end of the month, a decrease of 10.0 percent from April 2016, and down 1.9 percent from the prior month. At April shipping rates, that represented 3.2 months of supply, down from 3.4 months last year.

Canadian service centers shipped 9,600 tons of aluminum products in April, a decrease of 4.3 percent from the same month in 2016, and down 14.2 percent from March. Aluminum shipments for the year to date totaled 41,000 tons, a decrease of 1.9 percent from the prior year.

Canadian inventories of aluminum products totaled 31,800 tons at the end of the month, a decrease of 4.2 percent from a year ago, but up 2.5 percent from the prior month. At April shipping rates, that represented 3.3 months of supply, level with the same month in 2016.