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    December 22, 2020

    Raw Steel Production Dips During Holiday Week

    Written by David Schollaert

    Weekly raw steel production by U.S. mills totaled 1,600,000 net tons in the week ending Dec. 26, down 1.2 percent from the prior week, most likely due to the holiday lull. The mill utilization rate was 72.3 percent, down from 73.2 percent the week before and 78.5 percent in the same week last year. 

    Adjusted year-to-date production through Dec. 26 totaled 78,739,000 net tons, at an average utilization rate of 67.7 percent. With one week left in 2020, that’s down 17.7 percent from the same period last year, when the utilization rate was 79.8 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.

    Read more from David Schollaert

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