Construction critical factor in ’13 steel demand growth

Dec 06, 2012 | 12:51 PM | Corinna Petry

Tags  Steel consumption, demand, energy, pipe and tubular, automotive, demand forecast, Christopher Plummer, Metal Strategies housing

CHICAGO — Steel demand will rise next year on strength in the automotive and energy sectors, but consumption could use a further boost from construction, according to industry analyst Christopher Plummer.

"We have steel consumption moving up about 5 percent for full-year 2013 vs. 2012," the managing director of West Chester, Pa.-based Metal Strategies Inc. told AMM.

Automotive build rates in the United States and the North American Free Trade Agreement region jumped 20 percent this year, and Plummer projects "a very healthy rate" of growth in the "high single digit(s)" for 2013.....





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