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    Canadian Service Center Shipments, Inventories Inch Down in January

    Written by Brett Linton


    Steel shipments by Canadian service centers in January totaled 410,100 net tons, up 46.4 percent from December’s lull, but down 0.4 percent from January 2017, reports the Metals Service Center Institute (MSCI). On a daily basis, total shipments were 18,600 tons per day in January (a 22-day month), up from 14,700 tons per day in December (a 19-day month), but down compared to a year ago when they were 19,600 tons per day (a 21-day month). Total steel inventories at the end of the month were 1,154,000 tons, up 1.7 percent from last month, but down 2.1 percent from this time last year.

    The daily average receipt rate for January was 19,532 tons per day, up from 14,737 in December. Total January steel receipts were 429,700 tons, up 149,700 tons over December. According to MSCI, total steel product inventories in Canada stood at 2.8 months at the end of January, down from 4.0 months in December.

    Brett Linton

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