core sector communique

Weekly Raw Steel Production - January 1, 2011

In the week ending January 1, 2011, domestic raw steel production was 1,683,000 net tons while the capability utilization rate was 69.6 percent. Production was 1,492,000 tons in the week ending January 1, 2010, while the capability utilization then was 62.3 percent. The current week production represents a 12.8 percent increase from the same period in the previous year. Production for the week ending January 1, 2011 is up 2.1 percent from the previous week ending December 25, 2010 when production was 1,648,000 tons and the rate of capability utilization was 68.1 percent. Adjusted year-to-date production through December 31, 2010 was 88,475,000 tons, at a capability utilization rate of 70.2 percent. That is a 37.6 percent increase from the 64,296,000 tons during the same period last year, when the capability utilization rate was 51.5 percent. Broken down by districts, here's production for the week ending January 1, 2011 in thousands of net tons: Northeast Coast: 84; Pittsburgh/Youngstown: 122; Lake Erie: 43; Detroit: 124; Indiana/Chicago: 401; Midwest: 262; Southern: 574 and Western: 73. (Estimate based on reports from companies representing about 50% of the Industry's Raw Steel Capability + includes revisions for previous months)