Steel shipments from US mills dropped by 13.1pc to 7.42mn nt in January compared to 8.54mn nt shipped in the same month last year, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) data.
On a monthly basis, however, steel shipments increased by 5.3pc from 7.05mn nt shipped in December last year, AISI noted. Compared to December, hot-rolled sheet shipments rose by 13pc, while cold-rolled steel increased by 6pc.
Hot dipped galvanized sheet and strip shipments, however, declined by 3pc in January from the previous month, AISI indicated.