Steel Products Prices North America

Weekly Raw Steel Production Rises to Four-Month High

Written by Brett Linton

May 23, 2022

Domestic mill raw steel production increased again last week, with the utilization rate climbing to an 18-week high and production rising to a 16-week high. US output totaled 1,789,000 net tons in the week ending May 21, with a capacity utilization rate of 82.0%, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

Production rose 0.2% week over week, but is down 2.5% compared to this time last year when production was 1,834,000 net tons. Mill capacity utilization last week rose 0.2 percentage points from the prior week, and is 1.0 percentage points above the same period one year ago when utilization was 81.0%.

Adjusted year-to-date production through May 14 totaled 35,199,000 net tons, at an average utilization rate of 80.3%. That’s down 1.8% from the same period last year when production was 35,843,000 net tons, though the utilization rate was lower at 78.7%.

Below is the production by region for the week ending May 21: Northeast, 171,000 tons; Great Lakes, 567,000 tons; Midwest, 208,000 tons; South, 772,000 tons; and West, 71,000 tons – for a total of 1,789,000 net tons, up 4,000 net tons from the prior week.

WeeklyRawSteelProd Wk21

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.

By Brett Linton, Brett@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Brett Linton

Brett Linton is a digital operations analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.

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