By the Numbers

Reported United States aggregated spot market prices per gross ton shown for each commodity are based on all Management Science Associates’ (MSA) Raw Material Data Aggregation Service (RMDAS) participants’ actual order data submitted to and processed by MSA as of the 20th of each respective “buy month,” rounded to the whole integer. A map of RMDAS regions is available at http://rmdas.msa.com, as is a further explanation of RMDAS methodology and an accompanying disclaimer.

No. 1 HMS defined as prepared obsolete scrap, 5 feet long and under. Additional pricing information on each grade can be found at www.RecyclingToday.com.

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Building permits for privately owned housing units in the U.S. were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.017 million in April 2013, an increase of 14.3 percent from March and a 35.8 percent increase over the April 2012 estimate of 749,000. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development)