• Skip to main content

    Prices

    March 23, 2021

    Mill Utilization Slips for the First Time in Weeks

    Written by David Schollaert

    U.S. raw steel production took a slight step back this week following repeated gains over the past five weeks. Weekly steel production by U.S. mills totaled 1,753,000 tons in the week ending March 20, bringing production down 0.5% compared with the week prior when production was 1,761,000 tons. The mill utilization rate last week averaged 77.3%, down from 77.7% the week prior, but up 2.0% from the same period last year when production totaled 1,741,000 tons.

    Adjusted year-to-date production through March 20 was 19,626,000 net tons, at an average utilization rate of 76.8%. That’s down 6.2% from the same period last year when the utilization rate was 79.6% and production was 20,917,000 net tons, 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

    Latest in Prices

    Plate supply squeeze tightens as demand presses higher

    The domestic plate market is showing few signs of relief for steel buyers. Lead times are stretching well beyond seasonal norms, spot availability has all but evaporated, and mills are drawing hard lines on contract volumes heading into 2027 negotiations. And the supply squeeze will likely intensify in a market that some industry sources say is structurally undersupplied because of stringent US trade and tariff policies. Imports have been arriving in larger volumes, and the expectation is they will continue to tick higher into 2027. The big question is whether those foreign tons will arrive in volumes sufficient to provide the relief steel consumers want.