Long Products
June 22, 2026
AISI: Raw steel mill output eases to 8-week low
Written by Brett Linton
US raw steel production has eased over the past month following the multi-year high seen in May, according to recent American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) data. Through last week, domestic mill output declined to an eight-week low but remains historically strong.
Raw steel production was estimated at 1,851,000 short tons (st) in the week ending June 20 (Figure 1). Output was down 3,000 st, or 0.2%, from the prior week. Just over one month ago, production touched a six-year high of 1,898,000 st.
Last week’s production was 1.9% above the year-to-date (YTD) weekly average of 1,817,000 st, and 3.3% higher than the same week one year ago. YTD production now stands at 44,395,000 st, 6.1% higher than the same period of 2025.
The mill capability utilization rate was 80.2% last week. This is marginally lower than the previous week (80.3%), but greater than the same week one year prior (79.8%). Back in mid-May, this rate rose to a four-year high of 82.2%. Capability utilization has averaged 78.6% YTD.
Raw production decreased week over week (w/w) in three of the five AISI-defined regions:
- Northeast – 129,000 st (down 8,000 st)
- Great Lakes – 496,000 st (down 2,000 st)
- Midwest – 318,000 st (up 2,000 st)
- South – 833,000 st (down 2,000 st)
- West – 75,000 st (up 7,000 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.
