Steel Markets
May Heating and Cooling Equipment Shipments Up 10%
Written by Brett Linton
July 7, 2018
May heating and cooling equipment shipments were up 10.0 percent in May compared to one year ago, according to data released by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) last Friday. This is the higest year-over-year increase since March 2017 when there was a 10.1 percent increase.
Residential and commercial storage water heaters were up 14.2 percent year over year to a combined 819,359 units; 797,761 units were shipped for residential use and 21,598 units for commercial use.
Shipments of warm air furnaces totaled 279,202 units in May, up 13.2 percent compared to the same month last year.
Central air conditioners and air-source heat pump shipments rose 7.9 percent over a year ago to 971,246 total units; 673,010 air conditioners and 298,236 heat pumps were shipped.
The full press release is available on the AHRI website here.
Below is a graph showing the history of total water heater, warm air furnace and air conditioner shipments. You will need to view the graph on our website to use it’s interactive features; you can do so by clicking here. If you need assistance with either logging in or navigating the website, please contact Brett Linton at 706-216-2140 or Brett@SteelMarketUpdate.com.
Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Markets
GrafTech’s Q2 loss widens in ‘challenging’ business environment
GrafTech cited a “challenging” part of the business cycle as its net loss widened in the second quarter.
CRU: Poor steel margins continue to push down raw material prices
Both iron ore and coking coal prices fell this week because of resistance from buyers. Iron ore prices have continued to fall throughout the past week, following sharp declines in steel prices in China, given no new policy announcement from the ‘Third Plenum’ meeting.
Op-Ed: The myth of the Mexican steel surge
We have heard ominous warnings about a flood of Mexican steel threatening the US market. It's the kind of rhetoric that gets thrown around often with little regard for the facts. The reality is that the Mexican steel surge is simply not happening, and the US steel industry has consistently maintained a significant trade surplus in finished products with Mexico. In 2023 alone, this surplus exceeded $3 billion.
CRU: Demand weakness continues to weigh on global sheet markets
Demand has remained persistently weak across the globe for sheet steel, weighing on prices. US HR coil prices fell the furthest this week as high-volume, low-priced deals were transacted as mills looked to fill order books and competed with one another amid relative demand weakness. Meanwhile, European prices were also down due to low demand […]
Influx of coated products fuels recent import surge
Steel imports fell back in May from April’s recent high but remained elevated compared to the levels seen over the past year. A deeper dive into the data confirms what SMU has been hearing from sources: Coated sheet is driving the recent rise in overall import levels.