Steel Products Prices North America

Mill Capacity Utilization Nears 83 Percent

May 14, 2019

The U.S. mill capability utilization rate bumped up a half point to 82.8 percent for the week ending May 11, while raw steel production increased by 0.6 percent from the previous week to 1,927,000 net tons. The week’s production represented a 6.6 percent increase from the same period last year, reported the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Adjusted year-to-date production through May 11 totaled 35,625,000 tons at an average capability utilization rate of 81.8 percent, a tonnage increase of 6.6 percent from the same period last year when the utilization rate was 76.6 percent

Following is production by district for the May 11 week: North East: 201,000 net tons; Great Lakes, 735,000 net tons; Midwest, 191,000 net tons; South, 722,000 net tons; and West, 78,000 net tons, for a total of 1,927,000 tons. Production saw the greatest increase in the Great Lakes region, and small increases in the South and West. The Northeast and the Midwest saw small declines.

The raw steel production tonnage provided in this report is estimated. The figures are compiled from weekly production tonnage from 50 percent of the domestic producers combined with monthly production data for the remainder. Therefore, this report should be used primarily to assess production trends. The AISI monthly production report provides a more detailed summary of steel production based on data supplied by companies representing 75 percent of U.S. production capacity.