ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., April 15, 2014

Growth Accelerates in March

Shipment growth returned to healthy levels for steel and aluminum in both the United States and Canada.

U.S. Service Center Activity

U.S. service center steel shipments in March 2014 increased by 7.2% from March 2013. Steel product inventories decreased 3.6% from last month. At the current shipping rate, this represents 2.2 months of supply in inventory.

March U.S. service center shipments of aluminum products increased by 15.8% from the same month in 2013. Inventories of aluminum products increased 0.4% from last month. At the current shipping rate, this represents 2.8 months of supply in inventory.

Canadian Service Center Activity

In March, Canadian service center shipments of steel products increased by 5.8% from March 2013. Steel product inventories increased 5.5% from last month. At the current shipping rate, this represents 2.9 months of supply in inventory.

In March, Canadian service center aluminum shipments increased 6.6% from the same month in 2013. Inventories of aluminum products saw a decrease of 2.6% from last month. At the current shipping rate, this represents 2.8 months of supply in inventory.

Contact:

Chris Marti, vice president, research (847) 485-3009 cmarti@msci.org