Market Data
December 15, 2025
AISI: Raw steel production rebounds after near six‑month low
Written by Brett Linton
The volume of raw steel produced by US mills ticked higher last week, according to the latest figures published by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Before this week’s recovery, production had fallen to the second-lowest rate recorded in over six months.
Domestic mills produced an estimated 1,753,000 short tons (st) of raw steel in the week ending Dec. 13, up 19,000 st or 1.1% from the previous week (Figure 1). Although higher this week, output has generally trended lower in recent months following the three-and-a-half-year high of 1,800,000 st set in late August.
Last week’s production was 1.4% above the year-to-date (YTD) weekly average of 1,728,000 st and 5.3% higher than the same week one year prior. YTD production now totals 85,881,000 st, up 3.4% from the same period last year.
The mill capability utilization rate was 76.5% last week. This is up from both the previous week (75.7%) and the same week last year (75.0%). Capability utilization has averaged 76.8% YTD.
Raw production increased week over week (w/w) in four of the five AISI defined regions:
- Northeast – 121,000 st (up 2,000 st)
- Great Lakes – 480,000 st (down 15,000 st)
- Midwest – 264,000 st (up 4,000 st)
- South – 815,000 st (up 23,000 st)
- West – 73,000 st (up 5,000 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.
