U.S. Steel Industry Experiences Modest Growth Amid Stable Production Rates
The U.S. steel industry saw slight growth in domestic raw steel production for the week ending February 1, 2025. A total of 1,656,000 net tons were produced, reflecting a 0.8% increase compared to 1,643,000 net tons during the same week in 2024. This steady rise in production is accompanied by a small improvement in the capability utilization rate, which reached 74.4% for the current week. In comparison, last year’s utilization rate for the same week was 73.9%.
Week-to-Week Production Trends
Looking at the previous week, raw steel production saw a marginal increase of 0.9% compared to the week ending January 25, 2025, when production stood at 1,641,000 net tons. The capability utilization rate for that week was slightly lower at 73.7%. These figures indicate a stable upward trajectory in steel output over the short term.
Production by Region
Steel production is not uniform across the country, and the weekly figures are broken down by geographic region. The breakdown for the week ending February 1, 2025, shows the following production in net tons (in thousands):
• North East: 118
• Great Lakes: 503
• Midwest: 233
• Southern: 745
• Western: 57
The Southern district continues to lead in steel production, producing the highest volume of steel with 745,000 net tons. The Great Lakes and Midwest regions follow, with 503,000 net tons and 233,000 net tons, respectively.
Year-to-Date Production Statistics
Adjusted year-to-date production as of February 1, 2025, stands at 7,534,000 net tons. This represents a 1.0% increase from the same period in 2024, when production was 7,461,000 net tons. The capability utilization rate for the year-to-date period has also slightly improved, reaching 74.0% compared to 73.3% in 2024.
