Market Data
March 16, 2026
AISI: Domestic mill production eases for third week
Written by Brett Linton
Raw steel production declined last week for the third week in a row but remains historically strong, according to recently released American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) data. Before March, production had trended upwards since the start of the year, reaching a four-year high in mid-February.
US mills produced an estimated 1,774,000 short tons (st) of raw steel in the week ending March 13 (Figure 1). Production is down 17,000 st from the week prior and 43,000 st below the mid-February high.
Last week’s production was 0.1% below the year-to-date (YTD) weekly average of 1,775,000 st, and 4.2% higher than the same week one year ago. YTD production now totals 18,613,000 st, 4.9% higher than the same period of 2025.
The mill capability utilization rate fell to 76.7% last week. Compare this to 77.4% the previous week and 76.5% the same week one year prior. Capability utilization has averaged 77.2% YTD.
Raw production declined in four of the five AISI-defined regions week over week (w/w):
- Northeast – 133,000 st (up 13,000 st w/w)
- Great Lakes – 505,000 st (down 11,000 st)
- Midwest – 280,000 st (down 6,000 st)
- South – 795,000 st (down 8,000 st)
- West – 61,000 st (down 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.
