US raw steel production rises

According to data released from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), domestic raw steel production rose to 2.127 million net tons (nt) during the week ended March 25, 2006. This was a 0.6 percent increase from the previous week, in which 2.083 million nt were produced, and a 2.1 percent increase from the same week in 2005. The areas with the highest production capacity during the week ended March 25, 2006 were the Southern district, which produced 675'000 nt and the Indiana/Chicago district, which produced 561'000 nt. Overall capacity utilization last week was 89.3 percent, up from 87.3 percent the previous week. Capacity utilization for the week ended March 25, 2005 was 87.4 percent. Year-to-date net tonnage produced was 24'984'000 nt for the week ended March 25, 2006, up from 24'816'000 nt produced during the same period of the previous year.