Steel Mills

AISI: Raw steel production rises to 4-week high
Written by Brett Linton
July 1, 2024
Domestic raw steel production inched up again last week to reach a four-week high, according to the latest release by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).
Total US steel mill output is estimated to have been 1,721,000 short tons (st) in the week ending June 29, up 11,000 st, or 0.6%, from the week prior. Raw production last week was 0.4% higher than the year-to-date weekly average of 1,715,000 st. Production is down 1.0% compared to the same week one year ago when production totaled 1,738,000 st.
The mill capability utilization rate was 77.5% last week. This rate is higher than both the week prior (77.0%) and this time last year (77.3%).
Year-to-date production is up to 43,925,000 st at a capability utilization rate of 76.5%. That is down 2.6% from the same time frame last year, when 45,117,000 st were produced at a capability utilization rate of 77.8%.
Weekly production by region is shown below, with the weekly changes noted in parentheses:
- Northeast – 132,000 st (down 1,000 st)
- Great Lakes – 586,000 st (up 18,000 st)
- Midwest – 199,000 st (down 4,000 st)
- South – 740,000 st (down 4,000 st)
- West – 64,000 st (up 2,000 st)
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.

Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Mills

USW seeks clarity on plans for Granite City Works
The United Steelworkers union has asked U.S. Steel to elaborate on its Granite City Works plans following reports that the steelmaker is ending processing at the facility.

Nucor maintains plate prices, opens October order book
Nucor aims to keep plate prices flat for a seventh straight month with the opening of its October order book.

ArcelorMittal Mexico to import from sister mills as it works to resume DRI production
ArcelorMittal has partially restarted operations at its direct reduction plant in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan. An explosion on Aug. 18 rocked the massive steelworks on Mexico’s Pacific coast, impacting production of direct-reduced iron (DRI).

Fall maintenance outages are coming in hot
Labor Day has passed, the sun is starting to set a little earlier each day, and cooler weather has begun to find its way down to many of us across North America. And you know what that means for the steel industry… Fall maintenance outages!

AISI: Domestic steel production ticks up
US raw steel production ticked up in the week ending on Sept. 6 after a decrease the week before, according to the most recent data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).