Pittsburgh (Platts)--26Nov2012/514 pm EST/2214 GMT
US raw steel production edged about 1.6% lower week on week in the seven days that ended Saturday, which included the Thanksgiving holiday. The American Iron and Steel Institute estimates that US mills produced 1.764 million st of steel in the most recent week, compared with 1.792 million st in the week before. Capability utilization also slipped last week, falling to 71.4% from 72.5% in the prior week. The US' steel output in the most recent week represents a 2.5% decrease from the comparable week -- the 47th week -- in 2011, when mills produced 1.809 million st of steel while operating at an average utilization rate of 73%, AISI said. Year-to-date steel output has totaled 88.1 million st so far in 2012, a 3.1% increase on the 85.4 million st produced in the same period of 2011. Average capability utilization so far this year is 75.9%, up from 74.4% in the same period of last year. Production decreased in three of the five AISI production districts in the most recent week. Southern mills' production fell by 9.7% to 552,000 st in the week that ended Saturday, down from 611,000 st the week before. Mill production in the Northeast region fell by 1.5% to 198,000 st from 201,000 st in the prior week. Western district production fell by 4,000 st or 4.5% to 84,000 st in the most recent week. Great Lakes steel production increased by 5.1% week on week to 665,000 st from 633,000 st. Midwestern steel production increased by 2.3% to 265,000 st from the prior week's 259,000 st of steel output. AISI determines its weekly raw steel production data using weekly data from 50% of the domestic industry and estimates the rest using monthly production data.--Estelle Tran, estelle_tran@platts.com --Edited by Keiron Greenhalgh, keiron_greenhalgh@platts.com