Steel Products Prices North America

September U.S. Raw Steel Production Inches Upward

Written by Brett Linton

November 13, 2020

U.S. raw steel production remained steady in September, up 0.8 percent to 6,587,000 net tons, as reported by the American Iron and Steel Institute.

AISI’s monthly raw steel production estimates are different than the weekly estimates SMU reports each Tuesday; the monthly estimates are based on over 75 percent of the domestic mills reporting versus only 50 percent reporting for the weekly estimates.

September raw production was 49,000 tons higher than in August, but 1,133,000 tons lower than the same month one year prior. September production was slightly above the 2020 monthly average of 6,581,000 tons, but down 14.7 percent compared to the same month last year.

Broken down by production method, 4,561,000 tons (69.2 percent) were produced by electric arc furnaces (EAFs) and 2,026,000 tons (30.8 percent) were produced by blast furnaces.

The mill capacity utilization rate for September averaged 68.6 percent, up from 65.9 percent in August, but down from 77.4 percent one year ago. The average capacity utilization rate for the year is now 66.8 percent, down from 80.3 percent in the same nine-month period of 2019.

SMU Note: Interactive versions of these raw steel production graphics can be seen in the Analysis section of our website here. We have detailed regional data available as well. If you need assistance logging into or navigating the website, contact us at info@SteelMarketUpdate.com.

Brett Linton

Brett Linton is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.

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