Steel Products Prices North America

AISI: Weekly U.S. Mill Utilization Hits 83%

Written by David Schollaert

July 6, 2021

Raw steel production by U.S. mills totaled 1,842,000 net tons in the week ended July 3, up 0.4% compared with the week prior when production was 1,835,000 net tons. The average mill utilization rate was 83.0%, up 0.3% week on week, based on the available data compiled and reported by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Last week’s output represents a 41.0% increase from year-ago levels, when production was 1,306,000 net tons and utilization was just 58.3% as steel mills continued to deal with pandemic-related slowdowns.

Adjusted year-to-date production through July 3 was 46,896,000 net tons, at an average utilization rate of 79.0%. That’s up 16.0% from the same period last year when the utilization rate was 67.7% and production was 40,415,000 net tons, AISI said.

Following is production by district for the July 3 week: North East, 144,000 net tons; Great Lakes, 648,000 net tons; Midwest, 202,000 net tons; South, 772,000 net tons; and West, 76,000 net tons, for a total of 1,835,000 net tons. Production was up 7,000 net tons compared to the week prior. The decreased output in the South was offset by increased output in the remaining four districts.

WeeklyRawSteelProd Wk27

Note: The raw steel production tonnage provided in this report is estimated. The figures are compiled from weekly production tonnage provided by approximately 50% of the domestic production capacity combined with the most recent monthly production data for the remainder. Therefore, this report should be used primarily to assess production trends. The AISI production report “AIS 7,” published monthly and available by subscription, provides a more detailed summary of steel production based on data supplied by companies representing 75% of U.S. production capacity. Given the large number of changes to steelmaking capability in the current rapidly evolving market environment, AISI is undertaking a comprehensive review of its raw steel production and capability utilization statistics to ensure that they accurately reflect market conditions. Any updates to capability will be phased in over several weeks. Capability for the second quarter 2021 is approximately 29.3 million tons.

By David Schollaert, David@SteelMarketUpdate.com

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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