Economy

AISI: Raw steel production ticks up near recent high

July 14, 2025

The volume of raw steel produced by US mills inched higher last week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). After steadily increasing in April and May, domestic mill output stabilized in early June and has remained historically strong since.

For the week ending July 12, raw steel production rose by 2,000 short tons (st), or 0.1%, week over week (w/w) to an estimated 1,783,000 st (Figure 1). This rate was just 4,000 st shy of the three-year high recorded in mid-June.

The latest production figure was 4.7% above the year-to-date (YTD) weekly average of 1,703,000 st and 5.1% higher than the same week one year ago. YTD production now totals 46,985,000 st, up 0.7% from the same period of 2024. Prior to June, 2025 output had been trailing last year.

The mill capability utilization rate rose to 78.7% last week, similar to the previous week (78.6%) but higher than the same week last year (76.4%). The capability utilization rate has averaged 76.1% so far this year.

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

Northeast – 121,000 st (down 2,000 st w/w)
Great Lakes – 570,000 st (up 7,000 st)
Midwest – 233,000 st (up 2,000 st)
South – 790,000 st (down 1,000 st)
West – 69,000 st (down 4,000 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.