US raw steel production up 0.9 percent from last week, 56 percent from last year

US raw steel output increased by 0.9 percent during the week ended February 20, 2010 when compared to the previous week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

AISI reported Monday that US raw steel production in the week ended February 20, 2010 totaled 1,660,000 nt, up from 1,645,000 nt produced in the previous week, and up from 1,064,000 nt produced during the same week of 2009.

In the week ended January 20, US steelmakers were producing at 68.6 percent capacity, said AISI. This is up from the prior week’s 68.0 percent and up from the corresponding week of last year’s 45.5 percent.

US crude steel output has risen when compared to both the prior week and the same week of 2009 in every week of 2010 so far. Year-to-date, US production has totaled 11,601,000 nt with a capability utilization rate of 65.8 percent. That is a 53.9 percent increase from the 7,540,000 tons during the same period last year, when the capability utilization rate was 43.9 percent.