Another weekly uptick for steel output in US

The Washington-based American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) says mills in the United States produced nearly 1.38 million tons of steel in the week ending Aug. 15. The output represents a 1.7 percent increase from the previous week, when less than 1.36 million tons of steel were produced.

The mill capability utilization rate, or capacity rate, calculated by AISI was 61.5 percent in the most recent week, representing more steady improvement compared with the 2020 weekly low of just 51.1 percent recorded the week ending May 2.

This year’s steel production figures in the U.S. continue to show the negative effects of the COVID-19 virus and subsequent restrictions. The 1.38 million tons of weekly output the week ending Aug. 15 was down 25.2 percent from the comparable mid-August week of 2019, when some 1.84 million tons of steel were produced.

Year-to-date production through Aug. 15 stands at 48.8 million tons, says AISI, with an average capability utilization rate of 65.9 percent. The output figure is down 20.3 percent from the 61.2 million tons produced in the same time frame in 2019, when the average mill capacity rate was 80.7 percent.

A regional 2020 breakdown provided by AISI shows the week ending Aug. 15 mills in the association’s Southern region produced 548,000 tons of steel, followed by 466,000 tons of output in the Great Lakes region. Mills in the AISI North East region produced 133,000 tons of steel while those in the Western region made 71,000 tons.

An AISI statistical summary of steel shipped in the first half of 2020 reports shipments of 41.2 million tons, representing a 14.5 percent decrease from the 48.2 million tons shipped in the first half of 2019.