Domestic raw steel output eased last week to an 11-week low, according to recent American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) figures. Production has declined in four of the past five weeks but remains historically strong.
The estimated volume of raw steel produced in the week ending July 11 was 1,840,000 short tons (st) (Figure 1). Output fell 16,000 st, or 0.9%, from the week prior. Recall that production touched a six-year high of 1,898,000 st back in May.
Last week’s output was 1.1% above the year-to-date (YTD) weekly average of 1,820,000 st, and 3.9% higher than the same week one year ago. YTD production now totals 49,952,000 st, 5.9% higher than the same period of 2025.
The latest mill capability utilization rate was 79.7%. This is down from 80.4% the previous week, but up from 78.2% in the same week of last year. This rate had reached a four-year high of 82.2% in May. Capability utilization has averaged 78.8% YTD.
Raw production increased week over week (w/w) in three of the five regions defined by AISI:
- Northeast – 135,000 st (up 1,000 st)
- Great Lakes – 491,000 st (down 12,000 st)
- Midwest – 313,000 st (down 8,000 st)
- South – 833,000 st (up 1,000 st)
- West – 68,000 st (up 2,000 st)
Editor’s note: The raw steel production tonnage provided in this report is estimated and should be used primarily to assess production trends. The graphic included in this report shows unadjusted weekly data. The monthly AISI “AIS 7” report is available by subscription and provides a more detailed summary of domestic steel production.