U.S. Raw Steel Production Rises 3.2% Year Over Year Despite Weekly Decline

Steel News | 2026-08-13 12:29:15 | By Paul Ploumis

However, weekly output fell 2.7% from the previous week. Mills had produced 1.87 million net tons in the week ended August 1, while the capacity utilization rate then was 81.0%.

Summary

Weekly output: U.S. steel production reached 1.82 million net tons, up 3.2% from the same week in 2025 but down 2.7% week-over-week.
Capacity utilization: Mills operated at 78.8%, compared with 78.2% a year earlier and 81.0% the previous week.
Year-to-date: Adjusted output totaled 57.33 million net tons, 5.7% above 2025, with the Southern district leading regional production.

U.S. Raw Steel Production Rises Year Over Year in Latest Week, AISI Data Shows

Weekly output slipped from the prior week, but U.S. mills stayed ahead of last year's pace and extended year-to-date production gains, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

What Readers Should Know

U.S. mills produced 1.82 million net tons of raw steel for the week ended August 8, 2026.
Output was 3.2% higher than the same week in 2025, but down 2.7% from the previous week.
Capacity utilization stood at 78.8%, versus 78.2% a year earlier and 81.0% the prior week.
Adjusted year-to-date production reached 57.33 million net tons, up 5.7% from 2025.
The Southern district led all regions with 841,000 net tons of weekly output.

U.S. raw steel production rose year over year in the week ended August 8, 2026, even as weekly output pulled back from the prior week, according to the latest data released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

Why Weekly Output Moved

U.S. steelmakers produced 1.82 million net tons during the week ended August 8, 2026, with mills operating at 78.8% of available capacity. Production was 3.2% higher than the 1.764 million net tons recorded during the corresponding week a year earlier, when capacity utilization stood at 78.2%.

However, weekly output fell 2.7% from the previous week. Mills had produced 1.87 million net tons in the week ended August 1, when the capacity utilization rate was 81.0%.

What the Year-to-Date Data Showed

Adjusted year-to-date output through August 8, 2026, reached 57.33 million net tons, representing a 5.7% increase from the 52.248 million net tons produced during the same period in 2025. The year-to-date capacity utilization in 2026 averaged 78.9%, compared with 77.0% a year earlier.

Which Regions Produced the Most Steel

The Southern district remained the largest-producing region, accounting for 841,000 net tons in the latest week. The Great Lakes followed with 467,000 tons, while the Midwest produced 313,000 tons. The Northeast and Western districts contributed 134,000 and 65,000 tons, respectively.

What Happens Next

The figures indicate that year-to-date U.S. steel output edged higher than last year in 2026, despite a decline in the most recent week.