Long Products
September 8, 2026
AISI: Domestic mill output at lowest rate since March
Written by Brett Linton
Total US raw steel mill production declined last week to the lowest rate seen in over five months, according to the latest figures published by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Production has trended lower since peaking in May but remains historically strong.
Domestic production was estimated at 1,808,000 short tons (st) in the week ending Sept. 5, down 10,000 st or 0.6% from the previous week (Figure 1). This year we have seen weekly production as high as 1,898,000 st in May (a six-year high) and as low as 1,704,000 st in the first week of the year.
Last week’s production was 0.8% below the year-to-date (YTD) weekly average of 1,823,000 st, but 1.7% higher than the same week one year ago. YTD production now totals 64,637,000 st, up 5.4% from the same period in 2025.
The mill capability utilization rate was 78.3% last week. This was down from 78.7% the prior week and identical to the rate recorded one year ago. Capability utilization has averaged 79.0% YTD.
Production declined week over week (w/w) in three of the five AISI-defined regions:
- Northeast – 123,000 st (down 12,000 st)
- Great Lakes – 511,000 st (up 35,000 st)
- Midwest – 281,000 st (down 19,000 st)
- South – 821,000 st (down 18,000 st)
- West – 72,000 st (up 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.
