Steel Products Prices North America

Weekly Raw Steel Production at 8 Week High

Written by Brett Linton

May 23, 2014

For the week ending May 24, 2014, the American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the U.S. steel industry produced 1,875,000 net tons (NT) of raw steel, 2.0 percent increase over the previous week and a 2.3 percent increase over the same week one year ago. The estimated capacity utilization rate is 78.0 percent, up from 76.4 percent last week and up from 76.5 percent last year. These levels are the highest we have seen since the week ending March 22, 2014, when production was at 1,885,000 tons and the capacity utilization rate was at 78.4 percent.

Estimated total raw steel produced for 2014 YTD is reported to be 37,645,000 tons, down 0.6 percent from the 37,858,000 tons produced through the same period in 2013. The average capacity utilization rate for 2014 YTD is estimated to be 762 percent, down from 76.8 percent for 2013 YTD. Note that there has been a change in production capability for 2014- comparisons between 2013 and 2014 capacity utilization rates are against different production levels, so the total tonnage figures are best suited for yearly comparisons.

Week-over-week changes per district are as follows: North East at 230,000 tons, up 3,000 tons. Great Lakes at 675,000 tons, up 48,000 tons. Midwest at 249,000 tons, up 23,000 tons. South at 642,000 tons, down 28,000 tons. West at 79,000 tons, down 9,000 tons. Total production was 1,875,000 tons, up 37,000 tons.

SMU Note: You can view the interactive graphic below when you are logged into the website and reading the newsletter online. If you have not logged into the website in the past and need a new user name and password we can do that for you out of our office. Contact us at: info@SteelMarketUpdate.com or by calling 800-432-3475. If you need help navigating the website we would also be very happy to assist you.

{amchart id=”84″ Weekly Raw Steel Production from AISI}

Brett Linton

Brett Linton is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.

Read more from Brett Linton

Latest in Steel Products Prices North America