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    July 6, 2021

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

    Written by David Schollaert

    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.

    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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