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    July 29, 2014

    Weekly Raw Steel Production: Highest Levels since May 2012

    Written by Brett Linton

    For the week ending July 26, 2014, the American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the U.S. steel industry produced 1,920,000 net tons (NT) of raw steel, a 1.4 percent increase over the previous week and a 3.7 percent increase over the same week one year ago. The estimated capacity utilization rate is 79.8 percent, up from 78.7 percent last week and up from 77.3 percent last year. The last time domestic production levels were this high was in mid-May 2014 when weekly raw production was at 1,961,000 tons and the capacity utilization rate was at 80.0 percent.

    Estimated total raw steel produced for 2014 YTD is reported to be 54,547,000 tons, up 0.3 percent from the 54,386,000 tons produced during the same period in 2013. The average capacity utilization rate for 2014 YTD is estimated to be 76.8 percent, unchanged from 2013 YTD. Note that there has been a change in production capability for 2014–comparisons between 2013 and 2014 capacity utilization rates are against different production levels, so the total tonnage figures are best suited for yearly comparisons.

    Brett Linton

    Brett Linton is a digital operations analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.

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