Market Data
January 5, 2026
AISI: Weekly raw steel mill output ticks up
Written by Brett Linton
Domestic raw steel production inched higher last week but remains low compared to recent months, according to the latest figures released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). This marks the second-lowest weekly production rate recorded since April, up less than 1% from the prior week.
US mills produced an estimated 1,704,000 short tons (st) of raw steel in the week ending Jan. 3 – a 9,000 st recovery from the previous week (Figure 1). Output has generally trended lower in recent months following a three-and-a-half-year high rate of 1,800,000 st reached in late August. Last week’s production was 3.6% higher than the same week one year prior.
The mill capability utilization rate was 74.4% last week. This is up from the previous week (74.0%) but down compared to the same week last year (75.6%).
Raw production was mixed week over week (w/w) in the five AISI defined regions:
- Northeast – 121,000 st (up 13,000 st)
- Great Lakes – 494,000 st (up 9,000 st)
- Midwest – 264,000 st (up 5,000 st)
- South – 759,000 st (down 22,000 st)
- West – 66,000 st (up 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.
