Steel Products Prices North America
May 25, 2021
Weekly Raw Steel Production Edges Down
Written by David Schollaert
Raw steel production by U.S. mills totaled 1,793,000 net tons in the week ended May 22, down 0.3% compared to the week prior when production totaled 1,799,000 net tons, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). The mill utilization rate last week averaged 79.0%, down from 79.2% the week before but up 46.6% from the same period last year when production was 1,223,000 net tons and mill utilization was just 54.6% due to COVID-related disruptions.
The market is still behind pre-pandemic levels, according the data compiled by AISI. When comparing the latest data to the same pre-COVID-19 period in 2019, current production is down 5.2%. Adjusted year-to-date production through May 22 was 35,681,000 net tons, at an average utilization rate of 77.6%. That’s up 8.7% from the same period last year when the utilization rate was 69.9% and production was 32,811,000 net tons, AISI said.
