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    June 8, 2021

    Weekly Mill Utilization Keeps Momentum

    Written by David Schollaert

    Raw steel production by U.S. mills totaled 1,840,000 net tons in the week ended June 5, up 0.2% compared to the week prior when production totaled 1,836,000 net tons, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). The mill utilization rate last week averaged 82.3%, up from 81.5% the week before and up 46.3% from the same period last year when production was 1,258,000 net tons and mill utilization was just 56.2% due to pandemic-driven disruptions.

    For the second consecutive week since COVID-19 restricted U.S. steel production in mid-March 2020, output and mill utilization are back to pre-pandemic levels, according the data compiled by AISI. Mill utilization have remained above the 80.0% mark last seen in the week ended March 14, 2020. When comparing the latest data to the same pre-COVID-19 period in 2019, current production is down just 1.9%.

    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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