US raw steel output declined 4.4 percent during the week ended December 19, 2009, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).
AISI reported that US raw steel production in the week ended December 19, 2009 totaled 1,469,000 nt, down from 1,547,000 nt in the previous week, and up 51.7 percent from the same week of last year.
In the week ended December 19, US steelmakers were producing at 62.0 percent capacity, said AISI. This is down from the prior week's 64.9 percent but significantly up from the corresponding week of last year's 40.9 percent.
Adjusted year-to-date raw steel production in the US through December 19, 2009 totaled 63,357,000 nt, which is down 35.7 percent from the same period of last year. YTD capacity utilization amongst US steelmakers as of December 19 was 51.0 percent, compared to 81.4 percent for the corresponding period of last year.