February Raw Steel Production: Utilization Rate at 3.5-Year High

Total raw steel production for the month of February was 7,266,355 net tons, with 5,087,819 tons produced by electric arc furnaces (EAFs) and 2,178,536 tons produced by blast furnaces. February raw steel production was 329,268 tons or 4.3 percent lower than the previous month, but 185,893 tons or 2.6 percent higher than the same month last year, reports the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) in Washington. AISI’s monthly estimates are different than the weekly estimates we report; the monthly estimates are based on over 75 percent of the domestic mills reporting versus only 50 percent reporting for the weekly estimates.

As seen in the table below, eight of the 11 state groups reported a decrease in month-over-month production, and six of the 11 state groups reported a decrease in production compared to the same month last year.