Weekly raw steel production falls slightly

According to data released this week by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), raw steel production in the US for the week ended May 6, 2006 was 2.046 million net tons. This is a decrease from the previous week, in which 2.101 million nt were produced, and an increase from the same week the previous year, in which 1.929 million nt were produced. The areas that produced the most steel during the week ended May 6, 2006 were the Southern region, which produced 618,000 net tons, and the Indiana/Chicago region, which produced 546,000 net tons. Year-to-date capability utilization for the week ended May 6 2006 was 87.2 percent, compared to 88.4 percent YTD capacity utilization for the week ended May 6, 2005.