Steel Mills

AISI: Raw steel output ticks higher

May 28, 2024

Raw steel production in the US inched higher for a fourth consecutive week, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported on Tuesday.

AISI said US mills, operating at 78.1% of capabilities, produced an estimated 1,735,000 short tons (st) of raw steel in the week ended May 25. This was a 0.4% rise from the prior week’s output of 1,728,000 st when the utilization rate was 77.8%, and the highest weekly production rate since early April.

However, output was down 1.1% from the same time last year, AISI said.

Weekly production by region is shown below, with the weekly changes noted in parentheses:

Northeast: 138,000 st (+2,000)
Great Lakes: 555,000 st (+5,000)
Midwest: 211,000 st (+4,000)
South: 762,000 st (-3,000)
West: 69,000 st (-1,000)

Year-to-date production now stands at 35,437,000 st with a capability utilization rate of 76.5%. Output is down 2.7% from the same 2023 period when overall utilization was 77.9%.

Editor’s note: The raw steel production tonnage provided in this report is estimated and should be used primarily to assess production trends. The monthly AISI “AIS 7” report is available by subscription and provides a more detailed summary of domestic steel production.

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.