North America Sets Steel Shipment Record in 2006

摘要

REFLECTING A CONTINUED slowdown in general economic activity, steel product shipments from U.S. and Canadian service centers fell sharply in December from the same month a year earlier. But U.S. shipments for the full year still set a record of 56 million tons, according to the Metals Activity Report from the Metals Service Center Institute, Rolling Meadows, Ill. Steel shipments fell 10 percent in December compared with December 2005, to about 3.5 million tons. The full-year shipment total of 56 million tons was 2.4 percent higher than total shipments for 2005, and exceeded the previous annual shipping record of 55.6 million tons set in 2004.