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    July 20, 2021

    AISI: Steel Mill Utilization Tops 84.0%

    Written by David Schollaert

    The average utlization rate for U.S. steel mills reached 84.1% in the week ending July 17, while domestic raw steel production totaled 1,859,000 net tons, up for the third consecutive week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Weekly output was up 0.4% when compared with the week prior when production was 1,852,000 net tons and average utilization was 83.6%.

    Last week’s output represents a 37.7% increase from year-ago levels, when production was 1,350,000 net tons and utilization was just 60.3% as the pandemic continued to disrupt steel demand. Although production was up 0.4% week on week, AISI cut estimated annual production by 0.2% over the same period, and nearly 3.0% over the past eight weeks, in an attempt to adjust capacity data to better reflect current mill throughput. AISI presently estimates U.S. domestic mill capacity at 114.9 million tons, down from 118.0 million tons in May.

    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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