Steel Markets

April Heating and Cooling Equipment Shipments
Written by Brett Linton
June 5, 2020
April heating and cooling equipment shipments totaled 1.44 million units, down 17.5 percent from the same month one year ago, according to recent data from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). This is the largest year-over-year decline seen in nearly 11 years, going back to June 2009. As a three-month moving average, total heating and cooling shipments were down 5.0 percent. This is the sixth consecutive month total shipments have declined on a year-over-year basis.
Residential and commercial storage water heater shipments decreased 11.0 percent year over year to a combined 649,678 units; 633,941 units were shipped for residential use and 15,737 units for commercial use.
Shipments of warm air furnaces totaled 157,388 units in April, a decline of 42.7 percent compared to the same month last year. This is the tenth consecutive month that warm air furnace shipments have declined on a year-over-year basis, and the largest decline seen in more than a decade.
Central air conditioners and air-source heat pump shipments were down 14.7 percent over a year ago to 634,036 total units; 398,040 air conditioners and 235,996 heat pumps were shipped. This is the first month air conditioners and air-source heat pump shipments have decreased on a year-over-year basis since June 2019.
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. To use its interactive features, view the graph on our website by clicking here. For assistance with either logging in or navigating the website, contact info@SteelMarketUpdate.com.

Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Markets

USW cheers Evraz NA agreement with Atlas Holdings
The United Steelworkers (USW) labor union celebrated recent news of the signed agreement between Atlas Holdings and Evraz NA in which the Connecticut-based private equity company said it plans to acquire North America’s Evraz facilities.

Steel buyer spirits tempered by soft spot market conditions
Steel sheet buyers report feeling bogged down by the ongoing stresses of stagnant demand, news fatigue, tariff negotiations or implementation timelines, and persistent macroeconomic uncertainty.

Hot-rolled coil buyers continue seeking certainty
Steel market participants contend that buyers will remain in “wait-and-see" mode until some market stability is restored.

Latin American steel advocates warn on cheap import flood
Subsidized Chinese steel imports and cheap steel products from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) entering Latin American (LATAM) are threatening the region's steel market.

CRU: Steel prices fall amid global demand weakness
The forceful headwinds bearing down on steel markets across the globe have created demand challenges and sent prices southward. The US, however, challenged the global trend.