The American Iron and Steel Institute reported that for the week ending March 7, 2026, U.S. raw steel production reached 1,791,000 net tons with a capability utilization rate of 77.4%. While this represents a 5.2% increase year-on-year, output decreased by 1.1% from the previous week (1.81 million tons). The Great Lakes and Southern districts remained the primary contributors, producing 516,000 and 803,000 tons respectively.

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that for the week ending February 14, 2026, US domestic raw steel production reached 1,800,000 net tons, representing a 5.6% increase compared to the same week in 2025. The capability utilization rate rose to 77.8%, up from 76.5% a year ago. Year-to-date production through mid-February is up 4.0% at 11.36 million net tons.

SMM Hot Topic: Aftermath of US Tariff Blast: 27% of Steel Imports Evaporated in February! According to preliminary data from the US Census Bureau, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported today that the total steel imports in the US in February 2025 amounted to 2.235 million mt, with finished steel products accounting for 1.623 million mt (a decrease of 27.2% and 29.6% respectively compared to January 2025). Year-to-date, total steel imports and finished steel product imports increased by 5.7% and 7.4% respectively compared to the same period in 2024. Over the 12 months from March 2024 to February 2025, total steel imports and finished steel product imports increased by 3.1% and 5.4% respectively compared to the previous 12 months. The estimated market share of finished steel product imports in February was 22%, and for the first two months of 2025, it was estimated at 24%.

In March, the manufacturing PMI stood at 50.5%, up by 0.3 percentage points from the previous month, indicating a continued rebound in the manufacturing sector's prosperity level. By enterprise size, the PMI for large enterprises was 51.2%, down by 1.3 percentage points from the previous month, remaining above the threshold. The PMI for medium and small enterprises were 49.9% and 49.6%, respectively, up by 0.7 and 3.3 percentage points from the previous month, both below the threshold. In terms of sub-indices, among the five sub-indices that constitute the manufacturing PMI, the production index, new orders index, and supplier delivery time index were above the threshold, while the raw material inventory index and employment index were below the threshold.

[SMM Hot Topic] The US Raises Tariff by 25% on Steel and Aluminum Imports from All Countries! How Will It Impact China's Steel Exports? According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China's cumulative steel exports reached 110.716 million mt in January-December 2024, up 22.7% YoY. China's steel exports continued to grow in 2024, approaching the highest level in nearly a decade. However, the share of exports to the US remained below 1%, further declining from 2023 to just 0.8%. China's steel exports have also been expanding to new destinations, with more shipments reaching ASEAN countries and regions along the Belt and Road. Therefore, overall, the tariff hike has a relatively small impact on China's direct steel product exports. However, the earlier 10% tariff hike on all Chinese exports to the US, including downstream steel products such as construction machinery, household appliances, and NEVs, could restrict the export of these products due to higher tariffs, thereby affecting the scale of indirect steel exports.

American Iron and Steel Institute: US steel capacity utilisation rate was 77.3% in the week ended July 1.