Steelmakers had a good run, keeping their mills running at 80 percent capacity or better for 30 weeks this year. But the market has shifted and the trend has reversed. Raw steel production by U.S. mills saw another small decline last week, taking the industry’s average capability utilization rate down to 77.7 percent. Mill utilization […]
Total U.S. raw steel production in the month of July rose 2.4 percent to 8,178,563 net tons, reports the American Iron and Steel Institute in Washington. August production is right in line with the 2019 average of 8,146,449 tons and is up 0.5 percent compared to the same month last year. Broken down by production […]
July apparent steel supply was calculated at 9,351,701 net tons, according to data recently released by the American Iron and Steel Institute and U.S. Department of Commerce. Apparent steel supply, a proxy for demand, is determined by adding domestic steel shipments and finished U.S. steel imports, then subtracting total U.S. steel exports. July apparent steel […]
The growth of manufacturing in the U.S. is slowing, and on a single-month basis the ISM index became negative in August. This does not bode well for the balance of 2019 or for 2020, according to Steel Market Update’s analysis of 11 manufacturing indicators. This report summarizes 11 data streams that describe the state of […]
Demand for sheet products is declining due to the weakness in manufacturing. Construction expenditures are showing signs of softening and will reduce the demand for long products through the balance of 2019. This analysis by Steel Market Update is based on steel mill shipment data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and import/export […]
Raw steel production by domestic steelmakers declined for the third week in a row, taking the industry’s average capability utilization rate down by another full percentage point to 77.8 percent. The last time the utilization rate was above 80 percent was the week of Aug. 24. Mill production has dipped by nearly 3 percentage points […]
Raw steel production by domestic steelmakers dipped for the second week in a row, taking the industry’s average capacity utilization rate down to 78.8 percent–the lowest level since the week of Aug. 4, 2018. Production for the week ending Sept. 7 totaled 1,835,000 net tons, down 0.8 percent from the previous week and down 1.7 […]
Raw steel production by domestic steelmakers dipped by 1.4 percent last week, taking the industry’s average capacity utilization rate down more than a percentage point to 79.5 percent–below the 80 percent mark the mills strive to maintain. Production for the week ending Aug. 31 totaled 1,850,000 net tons, also down 0.6 percent compared with the […]
Demand for long products continues to be very strong, driven by the construction industry. Demand for sheet products is declining due to the weakness in manufacturing. This analysis by Steel Market Update is based on steel mill shipment data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and import-export data from the U.S. Department of […]
Steel mill capacity utilization climbed back over the 80 percent mark last week, increasing by 1.1 percent to register 80.6 percent, reported the American Iron and Steel Institute. Production was up by 0.9 percent compared with the same period last year. Raw steel production for the week ending Aug. 24 totaled 1,877,000 net tons. Domestic […]
I have been traveling all day, so I have had limited exposure to the market today. For that matter, as I have mentioned on a couple of recent occasions, I have been almost entirely focused on the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference. So, here are a few comments about the conference for those of you […]
Steel mill capacity utilization dipped below the 80 percent mark last week for the first time since early July, registering 79.8 percent, reported the American Iron and Steel Institute. Production was down by 0.2 percent compared with the same period last year–the first time this year that weekly production was below 2018 levels. Raw steel […]
Our analysis of 11 manufacturing indicators suggests that growth is slowing and, if trends continue, will become negative in the fourth quarter. This report summarizes 11 data streams that describe the state of U.S. manufacturing in general and the steel industry in particular. We have reported on most of these separately in our Steel Market […]
Written by: John Packard, President & CEO, Steel Market Update Seven days to go… Seven days before the beginning of the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference in Atlanta. I have spoken to almost every single speaker, interfaced with the CRU Events team in London as well as our SMU team. All is going as planned. […]
Electric arc furnace minimills may have a cost advantage in steel production today, but there are still 19 traditional blast furnaces going strong in the United States. Blast furnaces dominate about three-fourths of global steelmaking, but only three steel producers in the U.S. currently are using BF or basic oxygen furnace technology: U.S. Steel, ArcelorMittal […]
After a month of small increases, steel mill capacity utilization dipped last week to 80.2 percent. The mills have still kept production above the benchmark 80 percent level for the past five weeks, since the week ending July 6. Raw steel production for the week ending Aug. 10 totaled 1,867,000 net tons, a decrease of […]
Total U.S. raw steel production in the month of June declined 4.1 percent to 7,984,988 net tons, reports the American Iron and Steel Institute in Washington. This is the first time monthly production levels have dipped under eight million tons since February 2019. Although down over the previous month, June production is only slightly below […]
Nearly 1,000 executives are registered with just two weeks to go before the start of the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference. We continue to see strong interest in this year’s event, which will be held in Atlanta on Aug. 26-28. Once again, the Georgia International Convention Center will be the home of this, our 9th […]
The trade war with China escalated on Monday as China allowed its currency to weaken in retaliation for a new round of tariffs imposed by President Trump. The yuan fell to 7 per U.S. dollar, the lowest it has been in 11 years, making exports from China cheaper and more competitive versus the United States. […]
Steel mill capacity utilization has been inching upward for the past month and registered 81.5 percent in the week ending Aug. 3 as the domestic mills benefit from higher steel prices. The last time the mills operated at this rate was mid-May. Raw steel production for the week ending Aug. 3 totaled 1,897,000 net tons, […]
Steel mill capacity utilization inched up for the third week in a row to nearly 81 percent last week as the domestic mills seek to capitalize on higher prices in the marketplace. Raw steel production for the week ending July 27 totaled 1,884,000 net tons, an increase of 0.6 percent from the previous week, as […]
A new bipartisan Senate bill on transportation infrastructure is getting the enthusiastic support of industry associations. The America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019 will authorize $287 billion over five years to improve the nation’s roads and bridges. The legislation includes provisions to improve road safety, accelerate project delivery, improve resiliency to disasters and reduce highway […]
If you haven’t registered for the Premier Steel Conference in North America, then this is the time to do so. The Steel Market Update Events App, which all 900+ attendees have access to, was launched last week, meaning registered attendees are now busy organizing meetings with each other in advance to make the most of their time […]
If you haven’t registered for the Premier Steel Conference in North America, then this is the time to do so. The Steel Market Update Events App, which all 900+ attendees have access to, was launched last week, meaning registered attendees are now busy organizing meetings with each other in advance to make the most of their time […]
Domestic steelmakers are keeping their capacity utilization above the 80 percent mark as they seek higher prices in the marketplace. The U.S. mill utilization rate averaged 80.4 percent in the week ending July 20, an increase of 0.3 percent from the previous week. Raw steel production for the week totaled 1,872,000 net tons. Production was […]
May apparent steel supply was calculated at 9,387,605 net tons, according to data recently released by the American Iron and Steel Institute and U.S. Department of Commerce. Apparent steel supply, a proxy for demand, is determined by adding domestic steel shipments and finished U.S. steel imports, then subtracting total U.S. steel exports. May apparent steel […]
By Fouad Egbaria, MetalMiner Editor’s note: The following article, Chatting with CRU’s Josh Spoores Ahead of the 2019 SMU Steel Summit, originally appeared in MetalMiner’s July 18 edition. Those in the steel sector will have a chance to learn about all of the trends impacting the steel industry during the upcoming SMU Steel Summit, scheduled […]
Most indicators of manufacturing activity are still positive, but if trends continue, growth will become negative by late summer. This report summarizes 11 data streams that describe the state of U.S. manufacturing in general and the steel industry in particular. We have reported on most of these separately in our Steel Market Update publications, and […]
Total U.S. raw steel production in the month of May rose 2.7 percent to 8,325,489 net tons, reports the American Iron and Steel Institute in Washington. May production was at one of the higher levels in recent history, only surpassed by March 2019 and October 2018. Prior to those three months, the last time production […]
The U.S. mill capability utilization rate increased by 1.1 percent from the previous week, edging back up over 80 percent, reported the American Iron and Steel Institute. Raw steel production for the week ending July 13 totaled 1,867,000 net tons, for a mill utilization rate of 80.2 percent. Production was up by 1.6 percent compared […]