US steel mills resume reducing production, crude steel output slide

November 3 MetalBiz--Till the week of October 31, 2009, US domestic crude steel production reached 1.495mln short tons and the capacity utilization rate was 62.7%. The figures were 1.682mln short tons and 70.5% respectively in the same period last year. The crude steel production dropped 11.2% year on year and 0.8% week on week, firstly falling after the 18-consecutive-growth month on month. Till the week of October 24, 2009, US domestic crude steel output amounted to 1.507mln tons and the utilization rate was 63.2%.

Due to the continued dip of US market, most mills began to reduce production. USS announced to suspend the operation of No.14 blast furnace in Gary mill and another one in Granite mill last week.

After adjustment, up to October 31, 2009, US crude steel production was at 50.675mln short tons accumulatively this year and the utilization rate was 48.9%, down 44.2% year on year. The data were 90.825mln short tons and 88% correspondingly one year earlier.