US raw steel output continued to inch upwards last week with a 0.9 percent week-on-week increase, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Monday.
AISI reported that US raw steel production in the week ended November 14, 2009 totaled 1,557,000 nt, up 0.9 percent from the previous week, and down 28.8 percent from the same week of last year.
In the week ended November 14, US steelmakers were producing at 65.3 percent capacity, said AISI. This is up from the prior week's 64.7 percent and up from the corresponding week of last year's 50.7 percent. It is also the highest weekly capacity utilization rate achieved by US steel producers this year.
On a regional basis, as measured by AISI, the largest weekly increase in US raw steel output for the seven days ended November 14 was in the Indiana/Chicago district, where production rose by 45,000 nt from the prior week. Production also rose in the North East Coast District (+16,000 nt), the Pittsburgh/Youngstown District (+5,000 nt), and the Western District (+6,000 nt); while weekly output dropped in the Midwest District (-32,000 nt); the Detroit District (-23,000 nt); the Southern District (-3,000 nt) and the Lake Erie District (-1,000 nt).
Year-to-date raw steel production in the US through November 14, 2009 totaled 53,773,000 nt, which is down 42.4 percent from the 93,243,000 nt produced YTD November 14, 2008.
YTD capacity utilization amongst US steelmakers as of November 14 was 49.6 percent, compared to 84.7 percent for the corresponding period of 2008.