Steel Markets

AISI: Raw steel output slips in all regions

December 27, 2023

The latest American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) production figures show domestic steel output slipping the week before the Christmas holiday.

Domestic mills produced an estimated 1,693,000 net tons of steel during the week ended Dec. 23, AISI said. Output was down 1.2% from the previous week but was 7.4% higher than the same week of 2022.

US mills’ overall capability utilization rate was 73.7% for the week compared to 74.6% the week prior and 70.6% in the year-ago period.

AISI calculated adjusted year-to-date production to be 87,047,000 tons, with mills operating at 75.4% of capabilities. Compared to the same period in 2022, output was higher by 94,000 tons, or 0.1%, and the mill capability utilization rate was 77.5%.

Production by region is shown below, with the week-over-week changes shown in parentheses:

Northeast – 130,000 tons (down 3,000 tons)
Great Lakes – 551,000 tons (down 9,000 tons)
Midwest – 185,000 tons (down 2,000 tons)
South – 760,000 tons (down 4,000 tons)
West – 67,000 tons (down 3,000 tons)

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. Since 2007, she has held various editorial and marketing positions with steel industry publications, associations, and mills. In 2021, after a five-year hiatus working across other industries, she returned to steel trade journalism, joining SMU in 2022. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at laura@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7869.