U.S. Raw Steel Production Climbs 10.3% in Mid-May, Utilization Rate Tops 82%

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): U.S. steel production kept climbing last week, hitting 1,898,000 net tons by May 16, 2026. Industry data shows a capability utilization rate of 82.2 percent during the week under review.

Compared to the same week in 2025, that’s up 10.3 percent — back then, it was just 1,720,000 net tons with a lower utilization rate of 76.6 percent. Upon comparison with the data during the prior week (ending May 9, 2026), output bumped up by 1 percent, rising from 1,880,000 net tons and a utilization of 81.4 percent.

For the year so far, the country produced 35,183,000 net tons, averaging a capability utilization rate of 78.3 percent. That’s a solid jump from last year’s 33,021,000 net tons, when utilization averaged 76.2 percent.

The South kept its spot as the top producer with 853,000 net tons. Next came the Great Lakes with 533,000, then the Midwest at 313,000, North East at 133,000, and Western district at 66,000. All together, the U.S. churned out 1.898 million net tons last week.