• Skip to main content

    Prices

    August Raw Steel Production Down 0.7 Percent Over July

    Written by Brett Linton


    The American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI) recently reported final U.S. raw steel production estimates for the month of August 2016. The monthly estimates are different than the weekly estimates we report in our Tuesday issues; the AISI bases the monthly estimates on over 75 percent of the domestic mills reporting vs. only 50 percent for the weekly estimates.

    Total raw steel production for the month of August was reported to be 7,328,534 net tons with 4,948,685 tons being produced by electric arc furnaces (EAF) and 2,379,849 tons produced by blast furnaces. August raw steel production was reported to be 53,772 tons or 0.7 percent lower than the previous month and 316,800 tons or 4.1 percent lower than the same month last year.

    Brett Linton

    Read more from Brett Linton

    Latest in Prices

    Plate supply squeeze tightens as demand presses higher

    The domestic plate market is showing few signs of relief for steel buyers. Lead times are stretching well beyond seasonal norms, spot availability has all but evaporated, and mills are drawing hard lines on contract volumes heading into 2027 negotiations. And the supply squeeze will likely intensify in a market that some industry sources say is structurally undersupplied because of stringent US trade and tariff policies. Imports have been arriving in larger volumes, and the expectation is they will continue to tick higher into 2027. The big question is whether those foreign tons will arrive in volumes sufficient to provide the relief steel consumers want.