Estimated raw steel production in Indiana and the Chicago area -- the nation's second-largest steel-producing region -- was 444,000 tons during the week ending Sept. 4, up from the 435,000 tons produced the prior week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.
Production in the Southern District, the nation's largest steel-producing region, was estimated at 559,000 tons during the same period, down from the 578,000 tons produced a week earlier.
Domestic mills produced 1.71 million tons of steel last week, up 18.5 percent from the 1.44 million tons made during the same period in 2009. U.S. steel mills operated at 70.6 percent capacity last week versus 70.2 percent capacity during the previous week.
Year-to-date steel production at U.S. mills is estimated at 60.31 million tons versus 39.27 million tons during the comparable 2009 period.
