Steel Markets

December Heating and Cooling Equipment Shipments Rise 3.0 Percent
Written by Brett Linton
February 1, 2019
Total heating and cooling equipment shipments in December rose 3.0 percent compared to one year ago, according to data released by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) on Friday. Excluding the 5.1 percent slip last September, total monthly equipment shipments on a year-over-year basis have increased every month since November 2016.
Residential and commercial storage water heater shipments rose 5.0 percent year over year to a combined 802,555 units; 781,017 units were shipped for residential use and 21,538 units for commercial use.
Shipments of warm air furnaces totaled 305,540 units in December, down 3.1 percent compared to the same month last year.
Central air conditioners and air-source heat pump shipments rose 3.9 percent over a year ago to 491,986 total units; 292,320 air conditioners and 199,666 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, contact info@SteelMarketUpdate.com.

Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Markets

CRU: China’s indirect steel exports find new destination markets
The boom in China’s direct steel exports has not stopped this year, even with a rise in protectionist measures globally. The increase is driven by...

Great Lakes iron ore cargoes down in September as Cleveland tonnage slips
Iron ore shipments from US Great Lakes ports fell sharply in September, per the latest from the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) of Westlake, Ohio.

HVAC equipment shipments down through August
Although total HVAC shipments fell in August, YTD volumes remain relatively strong. Nearly 15 million units were produced in the first eight months of the year, the fourth-highest rate in our 19-year data history.

Sheet market sources slam tariffs for prolonged demand slump
Tariffs are ultimately to blame for stagnant demand in the hot-rolled coil market, domestic market sources tell SMU.

Week in Review: Sept. 29 -Oct. 3
Let’s take a quick tour of some key stories from SMU in the week of Sept. 29 - Oct. 3.