Steel Products

AISI: Raw steel production reaches six-week high

May 20, 2024

Domestic raw steel production continued to ramp up through last week, now up to a six-week high, according to the latest release by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

Total US steel mill output is estimated to have been 1,728,000 short tons (st) in the week ending May 18, up 13,000 st, or 0.8%, from the week prior. Raw production this week is 0.9% higher than the year-to-date weekly average of 1,713,000 st. Last week’s production is down 1.5% compared to the same week one year ago when production totaled 1,754,000 st.

The mill capability utilization rate was 77.8% last week. This rate is higher than the week prior (77.2%) but down from this time last year (77.9%).

Year-to-date production is now up to 33,702,000 st at a capability utilization rate of 76.4%. Annual production is down 2.8% from the same time frame last year, when 34,659,000 st were produced at a capability utilization rate of 77.9%.

Weekly production by region is shown below, with the weekly changes noted in parentheses:

Northeast – 136,000 st (down 4,000 st)
Great Lakes – 550,000 st (down 11,000 st)
Midwest – 207,000 st (down 1,000 st)
South – 765,000 st (up 21,000 st)
West – 70,000 st (up 8,000 st)

Editor’s note: The raw steel production tonnage provided in this report is estimated and should be used primarily to assess production trends. The monthly AISI “AIS 7” report is available by subscription and provides a more detailed summary of domestic steel production.

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.