Steel shipments from the EU+UK flat steel service centers rose 17.9% year on year over January-April 2021, the EUROMETAL steel stockholders and distributors association said June 14.
In April, strip mill product shipments more than doubled, rising 109% on the year, while in March they rose 21.7%, the latest data available from EUROMETAL showed.
Demand for flat products in Europe have risen since end-2020, with prices climbing Eur665/mt to a record high of Eur1,140/mt base ex-works Ruhr in June.
During the first four months of the year, EU multi-product and proximity steel stockholding distribution, mainly for long products, rose 7.2% year on year. Over January-April EU27+UK Multi-Product & Proximity Steel Stockholding Distribution registered lower shipments for long products and higher shipments for strip mill products, tubular products and stainless steel.
Total steel product shipments increased 38.4% in April, with all products showing rises, the association said.
EU flat steel service centers had 62 days of stock in April 2021, compared to 142 days of stock they had in April 2020. EU Multi-Product & Proximity Steel Stockholding Distribution centers had stocks for 61 days in April, compared to 94 days in April 2020.
For April 2021, stock volumes index for steel service centers fell to 86 compared with 96 in April 2020. EU Multi-Product & Proximity Steel Stockholding Distribution stock volumes index for April was at 77, compared with 87 in April 2020.
— Annalisa Villa
