Steel Mills

Raw Steel Production Edges Up Again: AISI

Written by David Schollaert

August 22, 2023

Domestic raw steel production saw another upward bump last week, according to data released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) on Monday, Aug. 21.

Steel production in the US increased to 1,756,000 net tons for the week ended Aug. 19, up 1.1% from the previous week when production was 1,737,000 tons. Production is 2.2% higher than it was one year ago when US output was 1,719,000 tons.

The mill capability utilization rate was 77.2% for the week, up from the prior week’s 76.4% rate. Utilization was down, however, from 78.0% in the same week of 2022.

Adjusted year-to-date production through Aug. 19 was 56,363,000 tons with mills operating at an overall capability utilization rate of 75.9%. That is down 2.0% from the same time frame one year ago when the utilization rate was 79.7%, AISI said.

Production by region for the week ending Aug. 19 is below. (Note: Changes from the prior week are in parentheses.)

  • Northeast – 127,000 tons (down 5,000 tons)
  • Great Lakes – 578,000 tons (up 10,000 tons)
  • Midwest – 222,000 tons (up 5,000 tons)
  • South – 761,000 tons (up 12,000 tons)
  • West – 68,000 tons (down 3,000 tons)

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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