Steel Products Prices North America

Steel Mill Utilization Sees Slight Decline

Written by Tim Triplett

April 23, 2019

Steel mill utilization has declined by a percentage point in the past two weeks but remains near a healthy 82 percent, reported the American Iron and Steel Institute.

U.S. raw steel production for the week ending April 20 decreased by 0.6 percent from the previous week to 1,903,000 net tons, while the mill capability utilization rate inched down another half percentage point to 81.8 percent. The week’s production represented a 6.9 percent increase from the same period last year.

Adjusted year-to-date production through April 20 totaled 29,954,000 tons at an average capability utilization rate of 81.9 percent, an increase of 6.9 percent from the same period last year when the utilization rate was 76.4 percent

Following is production by district for the April 20 week: North East: 186,000 net tons; Great Lakes, 741,000 net tons; Midwest, 186,000 net tons; South, 720,000 net tons; and West, 70,000 net tons, for a total of 1,903,000 tons. Production increased in the North East, Great Lakes and Midwest, but declined in the South and West.

The raw steel production tonnage provided in this report is estimated. The figures are compiled from weekly production tonnage from 50 percent of the domestic producers combined with monthly production data for the remainder. Therefore, this report should be used primarily to assess production trends. The AISI monthly production report provides a more detailed summary of steel production based on data supplied by companies representing 75 percent of U.S. production capacity.

Tim Triplett

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