Steel Mills

Canadian Service Center Shipments and Inventories in April

Written by Brett Linton

May 16, 2017

Total Canadian steel shipments for all products in April were 362,400 net tons, down 14.0 percent from March and down 2.8 percent from April 2017. On a daily rate, total shipments were 19,100 tons per day in April (19 day month), up from 18,300 tons per day in March (23 day month), and up compared to one year ago when they were 17,800 tons per day (21 day month). Total steel inventories at the end the month were 1,143,100 tons, down 1.9 percent from last month and down 10.0 percent from this time last year.

The daily average receipt rate for April was 17,921 tons per day, down from 18,039 tons per day in March. Total April steel receipts were 340,500 tons, down 74,400 tons over March. According to the MSCI, total steel product inventories stood at 3.2 months at the end of April, up from 2.8 months the month before.

Flat Rolled

Canadian shipments of flat rolled products for the month of April were 194,300 tons, down 13.3 percent from March and down of 13.8 percent from the same month one year ago. Daily shipments increased from 9,700 tons per day in March to 10,200 tons per day this month, but were down compared to one year ago when they were 10,700 tons per day. Inventories at the end of the month were 708,400 tons, down 3.5 percent from last month but up 0.9 percent from the same month one year ago. The daily receipt rate for April was 8,858 tons per day, down from 9,322 tons per day in March. Total tonnage received was 168,300 tons, down from 214,400 tons the month before. Flat rolled inventories stood at 3.6 months in April, up from 3.3 months of supply in March.

Plate

Canadian shipments for plate products in April were 65,100 tons, a decrease of 14.2 percent from the previous month but an increase of 1.8 percent from April 2017. Daily shipments increased from 3,300 tons per day last month to 3,400 tons per day in April. Inventories at the end of the month were 161,400 tons, down 1.9 percent from last month and down 18.8 percent from the same month one year ago. The daily average receipt rate for April was 3,258 tons per day, up from 2,896 tons per day the month before. Plate inventories ended the month at 2.5 months, up from 2.2 months the month before.

Pipe and Tube

Canadian shipments for pipe and tube products in the month of April were 51,400 tons, a decrease of 11.1 percent from the month before but an increase of 29.5 percent from the same month last year. Daily shipments rose from 2,500 tons per day in March to 2,700 tons per day in April. Inventories at the end of the month were 112,800 tons, up 2.1 percent from last month but down 10.3 percent from the same month one year ago. The daily average receipt rate for April was 2,826 tons per day, up from 2,587 tons per day the month before. Total months on hand for pipe and tube inventories stood at 2.2 months, up from 1.9 months in March.

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.

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