MSCI Data Shows Service Center Shipments Up in January

January service center intake rose 12 percent month over month but was flat compared to the seasonal norms and was down 2.7 percent compared to January 2017 intake. Daily shipments in January were 31.1 percent higher than in December and were 4.3 percent higher than January 2017. According to Steel Market Update’s latest analysis of Metals Service Center Institute data, on average since 2009 January shipments have risen 20 percent over December; therefore, these latest numbers were seasonally better than the historical average for this time of year. Carbon steel shipments averaged 140,300 tons per day, and with two additional shipping days, Days on Hand (DoH) as of the January 31 averaged 48.2 days, down from 57.3 at the end of December, but 3.1 points higher than January 2017 DoH.

Intake and Shipments