Steel Mills

Canadian Distributor Flat Rolled Shipments/Inventories in February

Written by Brett Linton

March 16, 2017

Total Canadian steel shipments for all products in February were 365,700 net tons, a decrease of 11.2 percent from the month before and a decrease of 7.8 percent from February 2017. Do keep in mind that total January shipments were at an 18 month high. Total steel inventories at the end of the month stood at 1,171,400 tons, down 0.6 percent from last month and down 3.3 percent from the same month one year ago.

The daily average receipt rate for February was 17,945 tons per day (20 day month), down from 19,971 tons per day in January (21 day month). Total February steel receipts were 358,900 tons, down 60,500 tons over January. According to the MSCI, total steel product inventories stood at 3.2 months at the end of February, up from 2.9 months the month before.

Flat Rolled

Canadian shipments of flat rolled products for the month of February were 191,300 tons, a decrease of 14.8 percent from January and a decrease of 19.0 percent from the same month one year ago. Inventories at the end of the month were 744,200 tons, up 0.2 percent from last month but down 1.4 percent from the same month one year ago. The daily receipt rate for February was 9,655 tons per day, down from 11,524 tons per day in January. Total tonnage received was 193,100 tons, down from 242,000 tons the month before. Flat rolled inventories stood at 3.9 months in February, up from 3.3 months of supply in January.

Plate

Canadian shipments for plate products in February were 71,600 tons, an increase of 1.6 percent from the previous month and an increase of 0.3 percent from February 2017. Inventories at the end of the month were 173,900 tons, down 2.4 percent from last month and down 5.5 percent from the same month one year ago. The daily average receipt rate for February was 3,365 tons per day, up from 3,305 tons per day the month before. Plate inventories ended the month at 2.4 months, down from 2.5 months the month before.

Pipe and Tube

Canadian shipments for pipe and tube products in the month of February were 49,900 tons, a decrease of 4.0 percent from the month before but an increase of 15.4 percent from the same month last year. Inventories at the end of the month were 108,800 tons, down 4.1 percent from last month and down 20.0 percent from the same month one year ago. The daily average receipt rate for February was 2,260 tons per day, up from 2,214 tons per day the month before. Total months on hand for pipe and tube inventories stood at 2.2 months, unchanged from last month.

Brett Linton

Brett Linton is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.

Read more from Brett Linton

Latest in Steel Mills