Steel Mills

AISI: Weekly raw steel output ticks higher
Written by Brett Linton
February 4, 2025
The volume of raw steel produced by US mills increased slightly last week, according to American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) data. Last week’s production rate was the second-highest level so far this year.
Steel mill output was estimated to be 1,656,000 short tons (st) during the week ending Feb. 1 (Figure 1). Production rose by 15,000 tons or 0.9% from the prior week.

Weekly production was 0.5% higher than the year-to-date average of 1,647,000 st per week. Compared to the same week a year ago, weekly production is 0.8% higher this year.
Last week’s mill capability utilization rate was 74.4%, slightly above both the previous week (73.7%) and the same week last year (73.9%).
Year-to-date production now totals 7,534,000 st at a capability utilization rate of 74.0%. This is 1.0% higher than the same period of last year when 7,461,000 st had been produced at a capability utilization rate of 73.3%.
Weekly regional production data and week-over-week (w/w) changes are as follows:
- Northeast – 118,000 st (down 5,000 st w/w)
- Great Lakes – 503,000 st (down 2,000 st)
- Midwest – 233,000 st (down 12,000 st)
- South – 745,000 st (up 42,000 st)
- West – 57,000 st (down 8,000 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 graphic included in this report shows unadjusted weekly data. The monthly “AIS 7” report is available by subscription from AISI and can provide a more detailed summary of domestic steel production.

Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Mills

SDI earnings slip in Q2 as trade volatility hits customer orders
SDI profits slipped in second quarter amid trade policy volatility.

Cliffs puts ‘for sale’ signs up after another big quarterly loss
Cleveland-Cliffs lost more than $400 million for the third consecutive quarter but predicted results would improve in the second half of the year. And shares of the Cleveland-based steelmaker surged after company executives said during its Q2 earnings call on Monday that they could make billions by courting foreign investors or selling assets.

Algoma sees narrower Q2 loss but feels tariff sting
Algoma Steel expects a narrower sequential loss in the second quarter, but the company continues to be impacted by the US tariff situation.

Nippon plans to double steel output at USS operations: Report
Now that it has acquired U.S. Steel, Nippon Steel is planning a significant expansion of its US operations, including the construction of a new mill and more than doubling its steel output.

Algoma fires up EAF steelmaking with first arc
Algoma Steel reached a milestone in its transformation from blast furnace to electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking, with its Unit One EAF achieving its first steel production this week.