Weekly Raw Steel Production Bounces

For the week ending February 6, 2016, the American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI) estimated the U.S. steel industry produced 1,685,000 net tons of raw steel, a 1.7 percent increase over the previous week but a 1.2 percent decrease over the same week one year ago. The estimated capacity utilization rate is 71.9 percent, up from 70.7 percent last week but down from 72.4 percent this time last year. The capacity utilization rates are based on new lower total capacities with the removal of US Steel Fairfield from the mix (USS shuttered the Fairfield blast furnace last year).

Estimated total raw steel produced for 2016 YTD is reported to be 9,698,000 tons, down 9.6 percent from the 10,730,000 tons produced during the same period in 2015. The average capacity utilization rate for 2016 YTD is estimated to be 68.0 percent, down from 74.4 percent for 2015 YTD.