Update: Steel output advances, retreats

Steelmakers in the United States produced slightly more steel in the week straddling the end of June and the start of July compared with the previous week. That welcome advance in output, however, was followed by a decline during the week that included the July 4 holiday weekend.

Statistics gathered by the Washington-based American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) show in the week ending on July 2, 2022, steel output in the U.S. was 1.767 million tons. That represents a 1.0 increase in production compared with the 1.75 million tons made the previous week ending June 25, 2022.

The mill capability utilization (capacity) rate in the most recently measured week was 80.9 percent, also up slightly from the 80.2 percent figure the week before.

The week ending July 9, 2022, however, output fell to 1.748 million tons, representing a 1.1 decline from the week before. The mill capacity rate that week fell below 80 pecrent, to79.3 percent.

Year-on-year comparisons point to an overall first-half slowdown in 2022 compared with last year. In the week ending July 2, 2021, steelmakers produced 1.849 million tons while operating at an 83.4 percent capacity rate. The output figure is down 4.4 percent year on year.

Year-to-date production through July 2, 2022, stands as slightly less than 45.87 million tons, which is down 2.2 percent from the 46.9 million tons produced during the first half of 2021.

In the first half of this year, mills operated at an average capacity rate of 80.5 percent. That compares with a 79.4 percent rate averaged in the first half of last year.

In the week ending July 2, 2022, mill output was highest in the AISI Southern region, with 737,000 tons of output. Next highest was the Great Lakes region with 597,000 tons, followed by 204,000 tons in the Midwest; 165,000 tons in the Northeast; and 64,000 tons in the AISI Western region.