Steel Mills

AISI: Raw steel production backs off multi-year high

June 30, 2025

US raw steel output edged lower last week after hitting a multi-year high in mid-June, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Despite the dip, production remains historically strong, with mills steadily ramping up output since April.

Domestic mills produced an estimated 1,776,000 short tons (st) of raw steel for the week ending June 28 (Figure 1). This is down 11,000 tons or 0.6% from the prior week, when production reached the highest unadjusted weekly rate recorded since May 2022 (1,787,000 st).

Last week’s production was 4.7% above the year-to-date (YTD) average of 1,697,000 st per week and 4.3% higher than the same week of 2024.

The mill capability utilization rate was 79.1% last week, down slightly from the previous week (79.6%) but well above levels of a year ago (76.7%).

YTD production now totals 43,418,000 st with a capability utilization rate of 75.9%. Mills have produced 0.3% more steel this year than in the same period of 2024. Before June, steel output in 2025 had been running behind 2024 levels.

Raw production increased week over week (w/w) in three of the five AISI-defined regions:

Northeast – 121,000 st (up 1,000 st w/w)
Great Lakes – 560,000 st (down 4,000 st)
Midwest – 226,000 st (down 22,000 st)
South – 798,000 st (up 12,000 st)
West – 71,000 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 graphic included in this report shows unadjusted weekly data. The monthly AISI “AIS 7” report is available by subscription and provides a more detailed summary of domestic steel production.

Brett Linton

Brett Linton is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.