Economy
December 9, 2019
Census Data Shows Slowing of Steel Shipments in 2019
Written by Peter Wright
Commerce Department data indicates a slowdown in steel product shipments and new orders in 2019.
Steel industry trade association data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Metals Service Center Institute (MSCI) are most widely used to assess the state of the industry. In addition, the Census Bureau provides monthly data on manufacturing inventories, shipments and new orders for total U.S. manufacturing and for individual industries, one of which is steel products. Therefore, the Census Bureau provides a useful reality check for association data. Total shipments and inventories are reported in millions of dollars, seasonally adjusted. Year over year through October, steel product shipment growth declined by 10.7 percent and new orders growth was negative 6.0 percent.
