N. America aluminum shipments fall 1.6 pct in July

　　Demand for U.S. and Canadian aluminum products, measured as shipments from domestic producers plus imports, fell by 1.6 percent in July from a year earlier, and slid 8.2 percent from June, an aluminum industry group said on Wednesday.

　　For the year through July, however, aluminum shipments were up 6.0 percent, the report said.

　　Total demand slipped to an estimated 1.676 billion lbs in July from 1.704 billion lbs in July 2010, and was lower than the 1.825 billion lbs shipped in June, according to the Aluminum Association's Aluminum Situation report.

　　For the year through July, aluminum shipments increased to 12.317 billion lbs from 11.625 billion lbs for the similar 2010 period.

　　In a preview of August, the Association's Index of Net New Orders of Aluminum Mill Products rose 5.5 percent over July.

　　It said, orders for flat rolled products, including can stock and foil, were up 3.3 percent, extruded products jumped 13.3 percent, and orders for other mill products, including drawing stock and electrical wire and cable, went up by 10.1 percent. Compared with August 2010, new orders were 1.2 percent higher than the previous year.

　　In a breakdown of U.S. and Canadian products, demand for semi-fabricated, or mill, products edged down by 2.8 percent in July to 1.215 billion lbs from 1.251 billion lbs in July 2010, and dropped 7.8 percent from June, when 1.318 billion lbs were shipped, the group said.

　　For the first seven months, mill product shipments rose by 3.8 percent to 8.602 billion lbs from 8.291 billion lbs in 2010, the aluminum group said.

　　Demand for aluminum sheet and plate eased 0.7 percent to 736.6 million lbs in July from 741.5 million lbs in July 2010, and fell 6.0 percent from 783.5 million lbs shipped in June, the association said.

　　Shipments of extruded products slid by 11.7 percent to 253.3 million lbs in July from 286.8 million lbs in July 2010, and declined by 9.6 percent from 280.2 million lbs in June.

　　July shipments of aluminum ingot for castings and other uses rose by 1.6 percent to 461.0 million lbs in July from July 2010's 453.6 million lbs shipped. But, ingot shipments tumbled 9.0 percent from 506.5 million lbs shipped in June, the aluminum report said.

　　The industry group also said, U.S. and Canadian producer inventories jumped 11.1 percent in July to 2.483 billion lbs from 2.234 billion lbs in July 2010, and went up by 3.7 percent to 2.394 billion lbs in June.