Flat steel shipments from service centers in the EU 27 plus the UK fell by 5.5% in the first two months of 2021, compared with the same period of last year, with stockholders’ distribution of multi-product and proximity steel — including long steel dropping by 4.8% during the same period, European steel stockholders and distributors association EUROMETAL said April 26.
In February, flat milled product shipments declined by 1.7% year on year, compared with a 9.2% drop for the month of January.
The February 2021 index of stock volumes dropped to 85 from 92 in February 2020. Expressed in days of shipments, stocks at EU service centers reached 63 days in February, compared with 66 days in February 2020.
In February, stockholders’ distribution of multi-product and proximity steel decreased 3.4% on the year.
The stock volumes index of EU 27 + UK multi-product and proximity steel stockholding distribution registered at 78 in February, down from 85 in the same month of last year. When expressed in days of shipments, stock volumes were at 66 days of shipments in February, compared with 70 days in February 2020.
— Annalisa Villa
