USGS Totals Confirm Metals Decline

Statistics gathered by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Reston, Va., confirm what most in the metals industry already knew: 2001 was a slow year.

Metals output in the U.S. in 2001 dropped more than 10 percent from the previous year. The decline occurred at the same time that extractive mineral output actually rose 2 percent in the U.S.

According to the USGS, “Especially hard hit were the aluminum, copper and steel producers, who faced strong foreign competition, higher energy costs and lower prices for their products.”

The value of metals produced in the U.S. in 2001 was $9.1 billion, down from more than $10 billon in 2000. The overall value of minerals and metals imported decreased slightly, although steel, aluminum and copper imports continued apace.

“The speed and strength of recovery in the domestic mineral materials industry will depend to a great extent on how long consumers will maintain the pace of new motor vehicle and new home purchases that was underway in late 2001,” the USGS forecasts for 2002.