UNITED STATES October 20 2015 9:35 AM

NEW YORK (Scrap Register): United States raw steel production declined sharply by 9% year-on-year to 1,675,000 net tons in the week ended October 17, while the capability utilization rate was 70.1 percent, as per the latest figures from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

According to AISI, production was 1,840,000 net tons in the week ended October 17, 2014 while the capability utilization then was 76.5 percent.

Production for the week ending October 17, 2015 is down 1.8 percent from the previous week ended October 10, 2015 when production was 1,705,000 net tons and the rate of capability utilization was 71.3 percent.

Adjusted year-to-date production through October 17, 2015 was 71,199,000 net tons, at a capability utilization rate of 72.4 percent.

That is down 8.0 percent from the 77,406,000 net tons during the same period last year, when the capability utilization rate was 77.8 percent.