US raw steel output inches up for second straight week

US steelmakers inched up crude steel production for the week ended July 4 by about 0.6 percent from the previous week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Monday that total raw steel production in the United States for the week ended July 4 amounted to approximately 1,168,000 net tons (nt), which is up slightly from the reported 1,161,000 nt produced in the week ended June 27, 2009. However, compared to the same week of last year, US crude steel output was down 45.3 percent in the week ended July 4, 2009.

Percent capability utilization of US raw steelmaking facilities rose slightly to 49.0 percent in the week ended July 4, 2009, compared to 48.7 percent in the prior week, and 89.4 percent in the same week of last year.

The AISI reports that year-to-date, US raw steel production totaled 27,686,000 nt as of July 4, 2009, which reflects a 51.5 percent reduction in output from the same period of last year. Year-to-date percent capability utilization as of July 4 was reported as 43.9 percent, which is down from the 90.5 percent YTD capability utilization rate for the same period of 2008.