Steel Products Prices North America

Weekly Raw Steel Production Picking Up

Written by Brett Linton

May 26, 2015

For the week ending May 23, 2015, the American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI) estimated the U.S. steel industry produced 1,732,000 net tons of raw steel, a 1.6 percent increase over the previous week but an 6.9 percent decrease over the same week one year ago. The estimated capacity utilization rate is 73.3 percent, up from 72.1 percent last week but down from 77.3 percent last year.

Estimated total raw steel produced for 2015 YTD is reported to be 34,942,000 tons, down 7.2 percent from the 37,645,000 tons produced during the same period in 2014. The average capacity utilization rate for 2015 YTD is estimated to be 72.3 percent, down from 77.0 percent for 2014 YTD.

Note that the total production capability figure for Q2 2015 is based on 30,700,000 tons versus 31,300,000 tons for Q2 2014 and 30,400,000 tons for Q1 2015. 

Week-over-week changes per district are as follows: Northeast at 236,000 tons, up 15,000 tons. Great Lakes at 628,000 tons, up 15,000 tons. Midwest at 209,000 tons, down 1,000 tons. South at 573,000 tons, down 2,000 tons. West at 86,000 tons, unchanged. Total production was 1,732,000 tons, up 27,000 tons.

SMU Note: There is an interactive graphic on weekly raw steel production below, but it only shows up when you are reading the newsletter in the Steel Market Update website. To get there, simply click the ‘Read Full Text’ link in the top left of your newsletter email and log in. You can also see the graphic on the ‘US Steel Production’ page here. If you need any assistance, you may contact us at info@SteelMarketUpdate.com or 800-432-3475 and we will be 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.

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