Raw steel production in the country's Great Lakes region surged to 677,000 tons last week, and exceeded last year's pace for the first time in 2014.
Overall U.S. output grew by nearly 2.7 percent in the week that ended Saturday, according to an American Iron and Steel Institute estimate.
Local production jumped by 23,000 tons, or about 3.5 percent.
Most of the raw steel production in the Great Lakes region takes place in Indiana and the Chicago area.
Production in the Southern District, typically the country's second biggest steel-producing region, shot up to 660,000 tons, as compared to 640,000 tons a week earlier.
Total domestic raw steel production last week was about 1.853 million tons, down from 1.863 million tons a week earlier.
Nationally, domestic steel mills had a capacity utilization rate of 79.1 percent last week, up from 77 percent a week earlier. The capacity utilization rate was unchanged from a year ago.
U.S. mills have produced 50.7 million tons of steel so far this year, or about 0.1 percent more than at the same point in 2013.
Shipments rose 2 percent in May over April, and are up 4.4 percent over 2013. U.S. steel mills shipped a total of 8.3 million net tons in May, as compared to 8.2 million net tons the previous month, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.
Steel exports however fell to 1.04 million net tons in May, a 10.9 percent year-over-year decrease, largely because demand weakened in the Dominican Republic and the European Union, according to the American Institute for International Steel.
Exports had increased by 3.8 percent in April and 15 percent in March. But for the year, exports are down 7.3 percent to about 5 million net tons. Canada, historically the largest importer of steel made in the United States, has posted the biggest year-to-date drop in U.S. imports.
Source: nwitimes.com
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