US raw steel output rose by 1.4 percent during the week ended December 5, 2009, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Monday.
AISI reported that US raw steel production in the week ended December 5, 2009 totaled 1,519,000 nt, up from 1,499,000 nt in the previous week, and up 55.8 percent from the same week of last year.
In the week ended December 5, US steelmakers were producing at 63.7 percent capacity, said AISI. This is up from the prior week's 62.8 percent and up from the corresponding week of last year's 40.9 percent.
Year-to-date raw steel production in the US through December 5, 2009 totaled 58,331,000 nt, which is down 39.7 percent from the same period of last year. YTD capacity utilization amongst US steelmakers as of November 28 was 50.5 percent, compared to 81.4 percent for the corresponding period of last year.