Capacity utilization of US steelmakers rises to 52.6 percent

US raw steel production for the week ended July 25 rose by another 0.8 percent from the prior week, pushing percent capability utilization to 52.6 percent, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

AISI reported Tuesday that total raw steel production in the United States for the week ended July 25 amounted to approximately 1,254,000 net tons (nt), which is up from the reported 1,244,000 nt produced in the week ended July 18, 2009. Compared to the same week of last year, US crude steel output was down 40.9 percent in the week ended July 25, 2009.

The AISI reports that year-to-date, US raw steel production totaled 31,397,000 nt as of July 25, 2009, which reflects a 50.5 percent reduction in output from the same period of last year. Year-to-date percent capability utilization as of July 25 was reported as 44.7 percent, which is down from the 90.3 percent YTD capability utilization rate for the same period of 2008.