April 23 (Reuters) - Steel Dynamics beat Wall Street estimates for first-quarter profit on Tuesday, buoyed by resilient demand and higher prices for flat-rolled steel.

Non-residential construction, automotive, energy and industrial sectors fueled the demand, the company said.

Shares of the company, which also recycles metals, were up 1.7% in extended trading.

Adjusted profit of $3.67 per share for the quarter ended March 31, beat analysts' average expectation of $3.51, according to LSEG data.

The Fort Wayne Indiana-based company last month estimated profit per share to range between $3.51 and $3.55.

However, total net sales fell 4% to $4.69 billion, falling short of estimates of $4.74 billion.

"Underlying steel demand was steady in the quarter; however, we experienced some steel order volatility early in the quarter as customer inventories remain incredibly low and scrap prices declined month over month in the quarter," CEO Mark Millett said in a statement.

Customer orders rebounded in March, he added, supporting increased pricing and order backlogs, especially within the company's value-added coated flat rolled steel products portfolio.

Average external sales pricing in the steel operations segment rose to $1,201 per ton in the quarter, compared with $1,076/ton a year earlier.

The steelmaker expects higher consumption in North American in 2024 and lower imports to support steel pricing.

The company also expects to begin operations at the aluminum flat rolled mill by mid-2025, further diversifying its product portfolio. (Reporting by Aatreyee Dasgupta in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Shilpi Majumdar)