Steel Mills

MSCI: Flat Rolled Inventories at 2.1 Months of Supply

April 17, 2018

Service center shipments of carbon plate increased in March, while shipments of flat roll and tubular products declined, compared with the same month last year, according to the Metals Service Center Institute’s March Metals Activity Report. Overall, service center shipments saw an improvement in March from the prior month.

U.S. service centers shipped 3.596 million tons of steel products in March, a decrease of 1.7 percent from March 2017, but an increase of 9.3 percent from February. U.S. service center inventories at the end of March totaled 7.783 million tons or 2.2 months on hand. That’s a 7.9 percent increase from the 7.214 million tons in inventory, and up from 2.0 months on hand, in March last year. Tons shipped per day in March totaled 163,400, down from 164,400 in February and 159,000 in March 2017.

Carbon Flat Rolled

Looking at shipments by product category, U.S. service centers shipped 2.361 million tons of carbon flat roll in March, a 3.8 percent decline from March 2017. Flat roll shipments increased by 7.8 percent compared with the prior month.

Tons shipped per day in March averaged 107,300, with 22 shipping days in the month, up from 106,700 in March last year, with 23 shipping days.

Service centers’ flat rolled inventory on hand at the end of March totaled 4.956 million tons, or 2.1 months on hand, up 11.2 percent from March 2017.

Carbon Plate

U.S. service centers shipped 357,300 tons of carbon plate in March, a 7.9 percent increase over the 331,300 tons in March last year. March shipments of carbon plate increased by 9.8 percent from the prior month. Tons shipped per day in March, with 22 shipping days, averaged 16,200, down slightly from 16,300 tons in 20 shipping days in February.

Plate inventory on hand at the end of March totaled 810,600 tons, or 2.3 months of supply, 8.2 percent more than the 748,800 tons, and 2.3 months of supply, at the end of March 2017.

Pipe and Tube

U.S. service centers shipped 211,300 tons of pipe and tube products in March, a 4.7 percent decline from the 221,700 tons the prior year. March shipments of pipe and tube increased by 12.9 percent from the prior month. Tons shipped per day in March averaged 9,600 with 22 shipping days versus 9,600 last March with 23 shipping days.

Pipe and tube inventory on hand at the end of March totaled 470,400 tons or 2.2 months of supply. That’s 4.0 percent less than the 490,200 tons or 2.2 months of supply at the end of March 2017.