Long Products
August 18, 2026
AISI: Raw steel mill production ticks higher
Written by Brett Linton
Domestic raw steel production rose by 13,000 short tons (st) last week, a marginal recovery from the four-month low set the week prior, according to recently published American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) figures. While down in recent months, domestic production has been historically strong for most of this year.
US steel mills produced an estimated 1,833,000 st of raw steel in the week ending Aug .15. This is the fourth-lowest weekly rate recorded since mid-April (Figure 1). Compare this to the six-year high of 1,898,000 st seen in mid-May.
Last week’s production was 0.5% above the year-to-date (YTD) weekly average of 1,823,000 st, and 3.9% higher than the same week one year ago. YTD production now stands at 59,163,000 st, up 5.6% from the same period in 2025.
The mill capability utilization rate was 79.4% last week, up from 78.2% the previous week and 78.8% one year prior. Capability utilization has averaged 79.0% YTD.
Raw production increased week over week (w/w) in four of the five AISI-defined regions:
- Northeast – 140,000 st (up 6,000 st)
- Great Lakes – 479,000 st (up 12,000 st)
- Midwest – 318,000 st (up 5,000 st)
- South – 830,000 st (down 11,000 st)
- West – 66,000 st (up 1,000 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.
