Where primary aluminium was concerned, producers shipped 1.2Mmt during Q2 2013, up 1.3% on Q2 2012. Shipments of primary billet were up 3.7% year-over-year while shipments of foundry ingot increased 14.5% over the same period. However, compared with Q1 2013, primary shipments dipped one tenth of one per cent. Q1 2013 shipments totalled 2.4Mmt, up seven tenths of one per cent over the 2012 total of 2.4Mmt.
Foil shipments for July 2013 totalled 90.5 million pounds, up 3.6% on the July 2012 figure of 87.4 million pounds. In June 2013, the US and Canada shipped 89.3 million pounds. Year-to-date shipments through July 2013 totalled 609.3 million pounds, down slightly on the 2012 figure of 610.7 million pounds.
Aluminium sheet and plate shipments from the USA and Canada were up 1.1% in July 2013, reaching 687.9 million pounds and up 2.3% over a June 2013 figure of 679.9 million pounds.
Year-to-date shipments of sheet and plate through to July 2013 reached 4,741.1 illion pounds, down on the 2012 figure of 4,784.9 million pounds.
Can stock shipments for July 2013 increased by 2.5% over July 2012, reaching 390.8 million pounds up from 381.4 million pounds.
Non-heat treatable sheet (excluding can stock) was down 2.3% to 239.1 million pounds while shipments of all other sheet and plate rose 6.7% to 65.8 million pounds.
On an economic level, privately-owned housing starts in the US in July were up 5.9% over June 2013 figures and car production in the USA, Canada and Mexico during July 2013 was up 1.1% over a year ago.
During the first seven months of 2013, North American car production totalled 9.25 million units, up 3.4% on 2012. Medium and heavy duty truck production was up 18.6% at 36,801 units.