EU distributors’ January-July shipments fall year-on-year

The latest data from EUROMETAL, the steel distributors’ and traders’ association, indicates that steel shipments from distributors across Europe remained below 2016 levels during the first seven months of the year. This happened despite the overall recovery in market prices and sentiment, the association says.

According to EUROMETAL, flat steel service centres (SSC) shipments during the January-July period were -0.4% lower than the same period last year. In July alone however shipments increased 4.8% year-on-year and the continued rebound in both demand and prices is expected to further support market recovery in the coming months, Kallanish notes.

Meanwhile during the first seven months of the year multi-product stockholders and distributors shipped -1.6% less volume than in the same period in 2016. In July itself shipments increased nevertheless by some 6.7% y-o-y, EUROMETAL confirms.

In terms of stock levels, flat SSC stocks stood at 69 days of sales on average across Europe in July, up 2 days from July 2016. Multi-product distributors’ stocks were calculated at 77 days of sales, down 5 days y-o-y.