Steel Products Prices North America
February 5, 2019
Steel Production Dips Along with Winter Temperatures
Written by Tim Triplett
Harsh winter weather likely contributed to a slight slowdown in the rate of raw steel production last week after two weeks above 1.9 million tons. U.S. steelmakers produced 1,889,000 net tons of steel in the week ending Feb. 2, operating at a capability utilization rate of 81.2 percent. Production was down 1.7 percent from the prior week, but up 8.3 percent from the same week the prior year, reported the American Iron and Steel Institute.
One month into the year, the industry was averaging a mill utilization rate of 80.5 percent. Total year-to-date production of 8,954,000 tons was up 10.3 percent from the same period in 2018, when the utilization rate was 73.8 percent.
