In the week ending February 11, 2012, domestic raw steel production was 1,929,000 net tons while the capability utilization rate was 78.1 percent. Production was 1,780,000 tons in the week ending February 11, 2011, while the capability utilization then was 75.4 percent. The current week production represents a 8.4 percent increase from the same period in the previous year. Production for the week ending February 11, 2012 is up 1.2 percent from the previous week ending February 4, 2012 when production was 1,907,000 tons and the rate of capability utilization was 77.2 percent.

Adjusted year-to-date production through February 11, 2012 was 11,419,000 tons, at a capability utilization rate of 77.0 percent. That is a 6.5 percent increase from the 10,724,000 tons during the same period last year, when the capability utilization rate was 74.2 percent.

Broken down by districts, here's production for the week ending February 11, 2012 in thousands of net tons: North East: 257; Great Lakes: 660; Midwest : 244; Southern: 681 and Western: 87.

(Source: AISI)