Flat steel shipments from steel service centers in the EU and the UK were 0.3% lower year on year in the first two months of 2022, stockholder and distributors’ association Eurometal said April 19.
Shipments in January were up 4.3% year on year, Eurometal said.
Eurometal did not provide the percentage of February’s fall in shipments but said that, when expressed in days of shipments, stocks at steel service centers in the EU and UK reached 72 days in February, compared to 64 days a year earlier.
The index of stock volumes rose to 106 in February, up from 86 a year ago, with the average 2018 index being 100.
Meanwhile, long products shipments by distributors fell further 9.4% in January and February, due to only merchant bars, rebars, stainless steel and plates showing higher shipments, Eurometal said.
In February alone, stocks of long products climbed 8.3% year on year, with only profiles, merchant bars and stainless steel products seeing a drop in stocks, according to Eurometal.
— Jacqueline Holman
