Steel Mills

AISI: Raw steel production closes 2024 on a modest note

January 2, 2025

Raw steel mill production edged lower last week, according to data recently released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Domestic production has modestly recovered since bottoming out in October but is significantly lower than levels recorded earlier in the year.

AISI estimated raw steel output was 1,658,000 short tons (st) during the week ending Dec. 28. Production fell by 32,000 st or 1.9% from the prior week’s 13-week high of 1,690,000 st. Recall that, in early October, production declined to a 20-month low of 1,606,000 st (Figure 1).

Mill output last week was 2.8% lower than the same week one year prior, when output totaled 1,705,000 st.

Last week’s mill capability utilization rate was 74.7%. This was down from the week prior (76.1%), but higher than the same week in the previous year (74.2%).

YTD production now totals 87,049,000 st at a capability utilization rate of 75.6%. This is 2.5% less than the same period of last year when 89,243,000 st had been produced at a capability utilization rate of 76.0%.

Weekly production by region is as follows (weekly changes shown in parentheses):

Northeast – 131,000 st (down 3,000 st)
Great Lakes – 563,000 st (up 1,000 st)
Midwest – 223,000 st (up 7,000 st)
South – 682,000 st (down 38,000 st).
West – 59,000 st (up 1,000 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.