According to the latest report issued by the association of European steel and metal distributors EUROMETAL, in the January-October period of the current year steel shipments to end-user segments by European flat steel service centers (SSCs) decreased by 14 percent year on year. In October, strip mill product shipments increased by 3.3 percent year on year, while they had increased by 4.7 percent year on year in September.
When expressed in days of shipments, stocks at EU-based SSCs reached 88 days in October this year, compared to 110 days in October 2019.
In the first ten months of this year, sales by multi-product and proximity steel stockholding distributors were lower for almost all products of their portfolios. In the January-October period, total shipments dropped by 11.0 percent year on year. In October alone, all steel product shipments by the distributors decreased by 2.3 percent year on year. Only strip mill products (hot rolled flats, cold rolled flats, galvanized and other coated flats) had a positive trend.
Expressed in days of shipments, stock volumes of multi-product and proximity steel stockholding distributors amounted to 66 days of shipments in October this year, compared to 71 days in October 2019.