Steel Shipments Down in September, Highway Trust Fund’s Historic Low

Shipments from US steel companies were down in September and the federal Highway Trust Fund reached its lowest level in several decades in July.

Steel Shipments Down in September

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that for the month of September, US steel mills shipped 7,120,663 net tons, a 4.7% decrease from the 7,470,120 net tons shipped in the previous month and a 15% decrease from the 8,372,929 net tons shipped in September 2014.

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Shipments on the year-to-date in 2015 are 66,162,973 net tons, a 10.7% decrease vs. 2014 shipments of 74,123,773 net tons for the first nine months of last year.

A comparison of September shipments to the previous month of August shows the following changes: cold-rolled sheet, down 7%, hot-dipped galvanized sheets and strip were down 8% and hot-rolled sheets were down 10%.

How Low Did The Highway Trust Fund Go?

According to the US Energy Information Administration, the Highway Trust Fund reached its lowest level in decades earlier this year, ending July at $6.1 billion dollars.

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A congressionally approved transfer of more than $8 billion boosted the fund’s balance to end the fiscal year (September 30) at $12 billion, but that is still the second-lowest year-end level since 1984.