Steel Markets

AHRI: Heating and Cooling Shipments Up Again in March

Written by Becca Moczygemba


US heating and cooling equipment shipments were up for the second straight month in March, according to the most recent data released from the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI).

Total shipments in March were 2.03 million units, compared to 1.69 million units in February. While shipments were up month over month (MoM), they were down 11% year over year (YoY).

On a 12-month moving average (12MMA) basis, shipments were down to 1.88 million units per month compared to 2.04 million units in March 2022.

AHRIMarch2023 Fig1

As shown in the chart below, total heating and cooling shipments on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis through March were down 10% compared with the same period last year.

AHRIMarch2023 Fig2

Residential and commercial storage water heater shipments decreased 9% YoY to a combined 882,119 units in March, but increased MoM from 803,673 units.

March shipments of warm air furnaces totaled 269,320 units, an increase of 15% compared to February, but down 26% from a year earlier.

Central air conditioners and air-source heat pump shipments were up 35% MoM but dropped by 11% YoY. Units shipped in March totaled 877,912. When broken down by product, 496,539 air conditioners and 381,373 heat pumps were shipped, respectively.

AHRIMarch2023 Fig3

The full press release from which this data comes from is available on the AHRI website.

An interactive history of heating and cooling equipment shipment data is available on our website. If you need assistance logging in to or navigating the website, please contact us at info@steelmarketupdate.com.

By Becca Moczygemba, becca@steelmarketupdate.com

Becca Moczygemba

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