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In the week ending May 12, 2012, domestic raw steel production was 2,005,000 net tons while the capability utilization rate was 81.1 percent. Production was 1,778,000 tons in the week ending May 12, 2011, while the capability utilization then was 72.7 percent. The current week production represents a 12.8 percent increase from the same period in the previous year. Production for the week ending May 12, 2012 is up 2.1 percent from the previous week ending May 5, 2012 when production was 1,963,000 tons and the rate of capability utilization was 79.4 percent.
 
Adjusted year-to-date production through May 12, 2012 was 36,858,000 tons, at a capability utilization rate of 78.5 percent. That is a 7.6 percent increase from the 34,242,000 tons during the same period last year, when the capability utilization rate was 74.1 percent.
 
Broken down by districts, here's production for the week ending May 12, 2012 in thousands of net tons: North East: 294; Great Lakes: 689; Midwest: 263; Southern: 671 and Western: 88.
 
(The Raw Steel production tonnage provided in this report is estimated. The figures are compiled from weekly production tonnage provided from 50% of the domestic producers combined with monthly production data for the remainder. Therefore, this report should be used primarily to assess production trends. The AISI production report “AIS 7,” published monthly and available by subscription, provides a more detailed summary of steel production based on data supplied by companies representing 80% of U.S. production capacity.)