AISI reports steel production, shipments up

According to data released this week by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), raw steel production in the US for the week ended May 13, 2006 was 2.105 million net tons. This is an increase from the previous week, in which 2.046 million net tons were produced, and an increase from the same week the previous year, in which 1.929 million net tons were produced. The areas that produced the most steel during the week ended May 13, 2006 were the Southern region, which produced 652,000 net tons, and the Indiana/Chicago region, which produced 559,000 net tons. AISI also reported this week that for the month of March 2006, domestic steel mills shipped 9,830,000 net tons, a 6.3 percent increase from the 9,249,000 net tons shipped in March 2005, and a 10.0 percent increase from the 8,937,000 net tons shipped in February 2006.