Steel Mills

AISI: Raw Steel Output Up, Southern Region Gets Big Boost

Written by Becca Moczygemba

October 30, 2023

Raw steel production in the US continued to climb in the week ended Oct. 28, according to data released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) on Monday, Oct. 30.

Domestic steel output increased to 1,707,000 tons, up 0.2% from 1,703,000 net tons the previous week. This is the second consecutive week that production has risen, following a three week decline. Year over year, production is up 3.8% from 1,644,000 tons produced during the same time in 2022.

The mill capability utilization rate for the week was 74.3% compared to 74.1% the week before. During the same week last year, the mill capability utilization rate was 73.7%. The rate hasn’t cracked the 80% threshold since early July 2022.

Adjusted year-to-date production through Oct. 28 was 73,623,000 net tons at a capability utilization rate of 75.9%. Compared to the same time last year, that is down 0.9% from the 74,261,000 tons produced when the capability utilization rate was 78.8%.

Production by region is shown below with the week-over-week change shown in parentheses:

  • Northeast – 136,000 (up 2,000 tons)
  • Great Lakes – 567,000 (down 6,000 tons)
  • Midwest – 177,000 (down 7,000 tons)
  • South – 766,000 (up 20,000 tons)
  • West – 67,000 (down 5,000 tons)

Becca Moczygemba

Becca Moczygemba is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. She has been in the steel industry since 2017, specializing in flat-rolled products. Prior to joining SMU, she held positions at Mitsui & Co. and Kloeckner Metals. Becca has a BA in Organizational/Corporate Communication from the University of Houston and an MBA from Norwich University. Contact Becca at becca@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1000.

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