Steel Products

U.S Steel to Restart Granite City Blast Furnace
Written by Sandy Williams
March 7, 2018
U.S. Steel announced it will restart one of its two blast furnaces at Granite City Works later this year. The “B” Furnace will be placed back online to support anticipated increased demand for steel in the U.S. as a result of the pending Section 232 tariffs.
“Our Granite City Works facility and employees, as well as the surrounding community, have suffered too long from the unending waves of unfairly traded steel products that have flooded U.S. markets,” said U.S. Steel President and Chief Executive Officer David B. Burritt.
“The Section 232 action announced by President Trump last week recognizes the significant threat steel imports pose to our national and economic security. The president’s strong leadership is needed to begin to level the playing field so companies like ours can compete, win and create jobs that support our employees and the communities in which we operate, as well as strengthen our national and economic security. We will continue to support our customers with the high-quality products they have come to expect from U.S. Steel.”
Approximately 500 employees will be called back, beginning this month. U.S. Steel anticipates the restart process will take up to four months. The company expects to provide information on the anticipated financial impact of the restart as more details on the president’s executive order become available for analysis in the coming days.
{loadposition reserved_message}
“We’ve worked closely and cooperatively with leadership of the United Steelworkers to develop a plan that will help us work through the restart process in the safest, most efficient manner possible, while enabling longer-term collaboration designed to improve the plant’s competitiveness,” Burritt said. “We appreciate and thank the USW leadership and membership for their passionate efforts around the Section 232 investigation, as well as in support of the restart process at Granite City Works. Together, we are committed to ensuring the steel industry remains a fundamental part of American manufacturing because American manufacturing is stronger with American-made steel.”
The Granite City blast furnaces were idled in December 2015 and the hot strip mill in January 2016 in response to challenging market conditions that included global excess steel capacity and unfairly traded imports, the company said. The hot strip mill was restarted in February 2017 to meet customer needs. Granite City’s “A” blast furnace remains idled.

Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Products
CRU: Excessive global supply could hit rebar mill investments in US
Following the onset of the war in Ukraine in March 2022, concerns about import availability and expectations of rising demand from President Biden’s Infrastructure Bill pushed US rebar prices to record highs. In response, a flurry of new mills and capacity expansions were announced to meet the rise in demand from growth in the construction […]

Steel buyer spirits tempered by soft spot market conditions
Steel sheet buyers report feeling bogged down by the ongoing stresses of stagnant demand, news fatigue, tariff negotiations or implementation timelines, and persistent macroeconomic uncertainty.

CRU: US stainless prices to rise on expanded S232 tariffs
Stainless prices in the US market will rise, following price increases by major US producers. Our base case scenario incorporates higher US prices in the near term, despite the initial negative reaction by the market. US stainless prices will go up in 2025 H2 and will stay elevated in 2026 as tariffs on stainless […]

Galvanized steel demand unsteady amid lingering buyer fatigue: HARDI
Uneven demand for galvanized steel in June reflects a market that remains mired in uncertainty, according to industry sources.

OCTG industry salutes Customs for catching trade crooks
The US OCTG Manufacturers Association is commending US Customs for intercepting another Thai company's attempt to illegally transship Chinese oil pipe to the US.