UNITED STATES December 08 2015 6:04 PM

NEW YORK (Scrap Register): United States domestic raw steel production declined sharply by 14.3% year-on-year to 1,553,000 net tons in the week ended December 5, while the capability utilization rate was 65.0 percent, as per the latest figures from American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

According to AISI, production was 1,812,000 net tons in the week ended December 5, 2014 while the capability utilization then was 75.3 percent. 

Production for the week ended December 5, 2015 is up 4.4 percent from the previous week ended November 28, 2015 when production was 1,487,000 net tons and the rate of capability utilization was 62.2 percent.

Adjusted year-to-date production through December 5, 2015 was 82,328,000 net tons, at a capability utilization rate of 71.5 percent.

That is down 8.9 percent from the 90,322,000 net tons during the same period last year, when the capability utilization rate was 77.7 percent.