U.S. steel mills shipped 9.2 million net tons of steel in August, a 4 percent decrease compared to the 9.5 million net tons shipped in August 2006, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.
However, August 2007 shipments were 4.1 percent above the 8.8 million net tons shipped in July 2007.
In a year-to-year comparison, shipments are down 11.4 percent to service centers and distributors, 1.1 percent to automobile manufacturers, 2 percent for construction and contractors' products, and 8.8 percent to oil and gas markets.
