Steel Mills

AISI: Raw steel production reaches top mark YTD

April 8, 2024

Domestic raw steel output moved higher last week after rebounding from a seven-week low just two weeks ago, reaching its highest total year to date, according to the latest release from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

Total steel output in the US was estimated to have been 1,745,000 short tons (st) in the week ending April 6, up 1.3% from the week prior. Raw production is down 1% compared to the same week last year, when production totaled 1,762,000 st.

The mill capability utilization rate was 78.6% last week, up from both the week prior (77.5%) and one year ago (78.4%).

Year-to-date production through April 6 was 23,497,000 st at a capability utilization rate of 76.4%. Annual production is down 2.4% from the same time frame last year, when 24,085,000 st were produced at a capability utilization rate of 77.7%.

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

Northeast – 139,000 st (up 3,000 st)
Great Lakes – 588,000 st (up 4,000 st)
Midwest – 198,000 st (up 8,000 st)
South – 755,000 st (up 3,000 st)
West – 65,000 st (up 5,000 st)

Editor’s 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.

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.