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    December 1, 2020

    Weekly Raw Steel Production Down Slightly

    Written by David Schollaert

    Weekly raw steel production by U.S. mills totaled 1,561,000 net tons in the week ending Nov. 28, while the average operating rate was 70.6 percent. Production declined by 1.3 percent from the week prior, likely due to the holiday break. Present capacity utilization represents a 14.4 percent decrease from the same period last year when the operating rate was 78.8 percent, reported the American Iron and Steel Institute.

    Adjusted year-to-date production through Nov. 28 totaled 72,186,000 net tons, at an average utilization rate of 67.2 percent. That is down 18.4 percent from the same period last year when the utilization rate was 80.0 percent, AISI said.

    David Schollaert

    David Schollaert is deputy editor-in-chief for Steel Market Update. David joined SMU after more than a decade in the metals and mining industry in a myriad of different roles. Much of his early experience and expertise were within the coverage and analysis of steel-making raw materials and served previously as senior editor of the CRU Prices Service. Most recently, however, before his return to market analysis, David held roles as a metals buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers. He can be contacted at david@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1008.

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