Steel Products Prices North America
June Raw Steel Production Flat & Capacity Utilization Hits 74.4%
Written by Brett Linton
July 30, 2015
The American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI) recently reported final raw steel production estimates for the month of June 2015. The monthly estimates are different than the weekly estimates we report in our Tuesday issues; the AISI bases the monthly estimates on 75 percent of the domestic mills reporting vs. only 50 percent for the weekly estimates.
Total raw steel production for the month of June was reported to be 7,542,961 net tons with 4,604,391 tons being produced by electric arc furnaces (EAF) and 2,938,570 tons produced by blast furnaces. June raw steel production was reported by the AISI to have been 1,518 tons or 0.02 percent lower than the previous month.
Compared to the first six months of 2014, 2015 YTD production is down 8.3 percent to 44,069,432 tons. The table below shows that 10 of the 11 state-groups in the yearly comparison were reported as down.
The capacity utilization rate for the month of June 2015 was reported to be 74.4 percent, up from 72.1 percent in May but down from 78.5 percent in June 2014. However, our readers need to be aware that the AISI adjusted the available capacity figure from May to June: May’s production capability was 10.5 million tons, while June capacity was 10.1 million tons.
SMU Note: An interactive graphic of our raw steel production history can be seen in the Analysis section of our website here. If you need help logging into the website or navigating through it, please contact us at info@SteelMarketUpdate.com or 800-432-3475.
Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Products Prices North America
SMU Price Ranges: Sheet floor holds as market debates upside
Our average HR coil price increased $5/short ton from last week, marking a second consecutive week of modest gains. Market participants generally attributed the increase to...
Thin demand keeps plate prices hovering at lowest levels since February
Participants in the domestic plate market say spot prices appear to have hit the floor, and they continue to linger there. They say demand for steel remains thin, with plate products no exception.
SMU Price Ranges: HR crawls back to $800/ton
SMU’s HR price stands at $800/st on average, up $5/st from last week. The modest gain came as the low end of our range firmed, and despite the high end of our range declining slightly.
SMU successfully completes IOSCO review
SMU has successfully completed an external review of all our prices. The review has concluded that they algin with principles set by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).
Domestic plate prices could heat up despite so-so demand, market sources say
Some sources also speculated that plate could see further price increases thanks to modest but steady demand, lower imports, mill maintenance outages, and end markets less immediately affected by tariff-related disruptions.