Great Lakes steel production shot up to 656,000 tons last week, a 2.5 percent increase.

Steel mills in the Great Lakes region made 640,000 tons of metal the previous week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Most of the steel made in the Great Lakes region is produced in Lake and Porter counties in Northwest Indiana.

Overall, domestic steel mills made 1.7 million tons of metal last week, a 3.5 percent jump compared to the same period in 2017.

U.S. steel mills have run at a capacity utilization rate of 71.9 percent so far this year, down from 74.5 percent at the same time in 2017.

Domestic steelmakers used about 73.2 percent of their steelmaking capacity in the week that ended Jan. 13, up from 70.7 percent at the same time last year but down from 74.5 percent the previous week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Some analysts say steelmaking capacity utilization of about 90 percent is considered financially healthy for the industry.

Overall, U.S. national steel output rose by 58,000 tons last week to 1.7 million tons, up from 1.64 million tons the previous week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Production in the Southern district, nearly always the second largest steelmaking region after the Great Lakes, rose to 614,000 tons last week, up from 570,000 tons the previous week. Steel output in the Midwest rose slightly to 161,000 tons last week, up from 158,000 tons the previous week.