Steel Products Prices North America
Weekly Raw Steel Production: Change in Capacity
Written by Brett Linton
February 2, 2016
For the week ending January 30, 2016, the American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI) estimated the U.S. steel industry produced 1,657,000 net tons of raw steel, a 0.8 percent decrease over the previous week and a 8.3 percent decrease over the same week one year ago. The estimated capacity utilization rate is 70.7 percent, up from 69.8 percent last week but down from 76.4 percent this time last year.
Note that the the total capacity figure decreased over last week; last weeks estimated capacity was 2,392,550 tons per week while this weeks capacity estimate is 2,343,706 tons, a difference of 48,844 tons or 2.0 percent.
Estimated total raw steel produced for 2016 YTD is reported to be 8,013,000 tons, down 11.2 percent from the 9,026,000 tons produced during the same period in 2015. The average capacity utilization rate for 2016 YTD is estimated to be 67.3 percent, down from 76.4 percent for 2015 YTD.
Note that the AISI estimates capability for Q1 2016 to be 30.5 million tons versus 30.4 million tons for the same period last year and 31.4 million tons for the Q4 2015.
Week-over-week changes per district are as follows: Northeast at 206,000 tons, up 4,000 tons. Great Lakes at 625,000 tons, up 16,000 tons. Midwest at 190,000 tons, up 1,000 tons. South at 563,000 tons, down 31,000 tons. West at 73,000 tons, down 3,000 tons. Total production was 1,657,000 tons, down 13,000 tons.
SMU Note: Below is a graphic showing the weekly raw steel production history. To use the graphs interactive capabilities, you must view it on our website. You can do this by clicking here. If you need help navigating the website or need to know your login information, contact us at info@SteelMarketUpdate.com or by calling 800-432-3475.
Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Products Prices North America
CRU: Longs pricing trends diverge in North, South America
Most longs prices in the US were unchanged this month, except for rebar, which declined by $1.50/cwt ($30/short ton) m/m. While end-use demand is stable, inventories are well-stocked, keeping purchases limited. Domestic availability is sufficient to meet current demand, hindering the appetite for imported material. Meanwhile, prices for scrap remained under pressure in June, with […]
Nucor cuts plate prices by $125/ton, cites ongoing competition
Nucor Corp. announced that its plate mill group would cut prices for as-rolled, discrete, and normalized plate with the opening of its August order book.
Nucor cuts HR price for fourth straight week
Nucor lowered its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil by another $10 per short ton (st) for the first week of July. The steelmaker said in a letter to customers on Monday that its CSP base price for the week will be $670/st for all of its sheet mills with the exception of California Steel Industries (CSI).
Cliffs sets $720/ton HR price with opening of August books
Cleveland-Cliffs on Tuesday announced its monthly hot-rolled (HR) coil price of $720 per short ton (st) with the official opening of its August order book. The rate is down from last month’s price of $800/st.
CRU: Demand weakness continues to weigh on global sheet markets
Demand has remained persistently weak across the globe for sheet steel, weighing on prices. US HR coil prices fell the furthest this week as high-volume, low-priced deals were transacted as mills looked to fill order books and competed with one another amid relative demand weakness. Meanwhile, European prices were also down due to low demand […]