Steel Products Prices North America
October 1, 2019
Mill Utilization at 80.6 Percent Through First Three Quarters
Written by Tim Triplett
With three quarters of 2019 nearly complete, U.S. steel mills have managed to keep capacity utilization above the industry’s target of 80 percent, producing 3.4 percent more steel than they did in the first three quarters of 2018, reported the American Iron and Steel Institute. Through the week ending Sept. 28, domestic steelmakers produced 72,593,000 net tons for the year at an average mill utilization of 80.6 percent. Weekly utilization is currently trending lower, however, putting the 80 percent goal for the year in question.
Raw steel production by U.S. mills saw a small uptick last week, taking the industry’s average capability utilization rate back up to 78.4 percent from 77.7 percent the prior week. Production for the week ending Sept. 28 totaled 1,825,000 net tons, up 0.9 percent from the previous week but down 2.2 percent compared with the same period last year.
