Steel Products Prices North America
Weekly Steel Production at 82.3 Percent
Written by Tim Triplett
January 28, 2020
Domestic steelmakers kept their their raw steel production rate above 82 percent of their capability in the week ending Jan. 25. Production totaled 1,919,000 net tons for a utilization rate of 82.3 percent, down a slight 0.5 percent from the previous week but up 2.6 percent compared with the same week last year, reported the American Iron and Steel Institute.
Adjusted year-to-date production through Jan. 25 totaled 6,855,000 net tons at a utilization rate of 82.3 percent. That’s up 2.6 percent from the same period last year when the rate was 80.4 percent.
Following is production by district for the Jan. 25 week: North East: 233,000 net tons; Great Lakes, 681,000 net tons; Midwest, 211,000 net tons; South, 709,000 net tons; and West, 85,000 net tons, for a total of 1,919,000 tons. Production for the week was up in the Northeast and Midwest, but down in the Grat Lakes, South and West.
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.
Note, capability for first-quarter 2020 is approximately 30.3 million tons compare with 29.9 million tons for the same period last year and 30.4 million tons for fourth-quarter 2019.
Tim Triplett
Read more from Tim TriplettLatest in Steel Products Prices North America
SMU Community Chat: Timna Tanners on ‘Trumplications’ for steel in 2025
Wolfe Research's Managing Director Timna Tanners discusses the 'Trumplications' for steel in the coming year in this week's SMU Community Chat.
Nucor raises hot rolled spot price to $750/ton
Nucor raised its weekly consumer spot price (CSP) for HRC this week to $750/short ton.
SMU price ranges: Most sheet and plate products drift lower
Steel sheet prices mostly edged lower for a second week, while plate prices slipped for the third consecutive week.
Nucor drops HRC price to $720/ton
After holding its weekly spot price for hot-rolled (HR) coil steady for three weeks at $730 per short ton (st), Nucor lowered the price this week by $10/st.
SMU price ranges: Sheet slips, plate falls to 45-month low
Steel sheet and plate prices moved lower this week as efforts among some mills to hold the line on tags ran up against continued concerns about demand.