US crude steel output continues slow climb

US raw steel production for the week ended August 15 rose by another 0.7 percent from the prior week, pushing percent capability utilization to 53.9 percent, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

AISI reported Monday that total raw steel production in the United States for the week ended August 15 amounted to approximately 1,285,000 net tons (nt), which is up from the reported 1,277000 nt produced in the week ended August 8, 2009, and the 2,158,000 nt produced in the same week of 2008.

The AISI reports that year-to-date, US raw steel production totaled 35,228,000 nt as of August 15, 2009, which reflects a 49.6 percent drop in output from the same period of last year. Year-to-date percent capability utilization as of August 15 was reported as 45.5 percent, which is down from the 90.3 percent YTD capability utilization rate for the same period of 2008.