Aluminium shipments i North American 2013 off to a slow start

Metal shipments in 2013 decreased from last January’s levels at small single digit rates in both the United States and Canada.

1. US Service Center Activity

In January, 126,100 tonnes of aluminum products were shipped by US service centers, a decrease of 5.6% from the same month in 2012.

Inventories of aluminum products were 366,400 tonnes at the end of January 2013, a decrease of 2.1% over January a year ago and an increase of 0.2% from last month. At the current shipping rate, this represents 2.9 months of supply in inventory an increase of 3.7% from a year ago.

2. Canadian Service Center Activity

In January, 13,600 tonnes of aluminum products were shipped by Canadian service centers, a decrease of 3.0% from the same month in 2012.

Inventories of aluminum products were 40,700 tonnes at the end of January 2013, an increase of 19.2% from January a year ago and an increase of 5.0% from last month. At the current shipping rate, this represents 3.0 months of supply in inventory, an increase of 22.9% from a year ago.