American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has reported that, for the month of March 2009, US steel mills shipped 4,138,000 net tons, a 54.8% decrease from the 9,158,000 net tons shipped in March 2008 and a 4.2% decrease from the 4,320,000 net tons shipped in the previous month, February 2009. A year-to-year comparison of year-to-date shipments shows the following changes within major market classifications: service centers and distributors, down 54.9%; automotive, down 55.2%; construction and contractors’ products, down 56.0%; and oil and gas, down 48.4%.