Market Data
January 26, 2026
AISI: Raw steel production jumps to 20-week high
Written by Brett Linton
Raw steel output from US mills climbed last week to the highest rate seen in over four months, according to the latest American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) figures. Domestic production has rebounded each of the past four weeks following the multi-month lows seen at the end of the year.
Weekly production was estimated at 1,778,000 short tons (st) of raw steel in the week ending Jan. 24, rising 22,000 st (1.3 %) from the previous week (Figure 1).
Last week’s production was 1.7% above the year-to-date (YTD) weekly average of 1,748,000 st, and 4.6% higher than the same week one year prior. YTD production now stands at 6,016,000 st, up 3.4% from the same period last year.
The mill capability utilization rate was 76.9% last week. This is higher than both the previous week (75.9%) and the same week last year (76.3%). Capability utilization has averaged 75.9% YTD.
Raw production increased week over week (w/w) in three of the five AISI defined regions:
- Northeast – 123,000 st (up 2,000 st)
- Great Lakes – 514,000 st (up 10,000 st)
- Midwest – 266,000 st (down 11,000 st)
- South – 804,000 st (up 31,000 st)
- West – 71,000 st (down 10,000 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.
