US raw steel output rises for third consecutive week

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Tuesday that US raw steel production rose by 3.7 percent last week (ended May 16), compared to the prior week. Last week was the third consecutive week during which US raw steel production increased from the preceding week.

Total raw steel production in the United States for the week ended May 16 amounted to approximately 1,060,000 net tons (nt), according to the AISI, up from the reported 1,023,000 nt produced in the week ended May 9, 2009. US raw steel production for the corresponding week of 2008 totaled 2,173,000 nt.

Percent capability utilization of US raw steelmaking facilities was 44.4 percent in the week ended May 16, 2009, compared to 42.9 percent in the prior week, and 91.1 percent in the same week of last year.

The AISI reports that year-to-date US raw steel production totaled 19,765,000 nt as of May 16, 2009, which reflects a 52.9 percent reduction in output from the 41,951,000 nt produced in the same period of last year. Year-to-date percent capability utilization as of May 16 was reported as 42.6 percent, which is down from the 90.6 percent YTD capability utilization rate for the same period of 2008.