Steel shipments up 1.7 percent from April

AISI reports that for May 2011, U.S. steel mills shipped 7,380,064 net tons, a 1.7 percent increase from the 7,258,534 net tons shipped in the previous month, April 2011, and a 0.5 percent increase from the 7,345,455 net tons shipped in May 2010. Shipments year-to-date in 2011 are 37,140,749 a 6.3 percent increase vs. 2010 shipments of 34,940,934 for five months. 2011 shipments through May would annualize at 89 million tons.