"U.S. mills produced an estimated 1,821k tons at a 78.7 percent utilization rate; this is up from 1,804k tons and a 78.0 percent rate previously. Production increased in three of the five regions, with large increases coming from the Great Lakes and Southern regions," the report says. "Production from the Great Lakes region climbed from 659k tons to 685k tons, while production from the Southern region increased from 663k tons to 698k tons. Year-to-date production continues to drop, now 4.8% above the same time frame from last year."