Steel Products

JSW Restarts Texas Plate and Pipe Mill Ahead of Schedule: CEO
Written by Michael Cowden
February 25, 2021
JSW Steel USA resumed operations at its Baytown, Texas, plate and pipe mill on Feb. 25–earlier than expected, the company’s top executive said.
And the steelmaker remains on track to begin melting at its electric-arc furnace (EAF) sheet mill in Mingo Junction, Ohio, in March, JSW Steel USA CEO Mark Bush told Steel Market Update.
“We restarted our Baytown, Texas, facility today, ahead of schedule,” Bush said. “I am proud of the entire JSW Steel USA team for how diligently and safely they have worked over the past months to bring our facilities back online.
“This is an exciting time within our company and our industry,” he said. “The JSW Steel team is looking forward to re-entering the market and supporting our customers.”
JSW Steel USA idled its Mingo Junction and Baytown mills in 2020 in response to poor market demand following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also took the downtime to make upgrades to the Ohio mill’s EAF and caster.
{loadposition reserved_message}
The company had initially expected to restart both plants in March.
The Baytown mill makes plate, some of which it sells to third parties and some of which it uses to feed its large-diameter pipe mill. It does not have melting capability.
The Mingo Junction mill makes slab and hot-rolled coil. Its EAF has a capacity of 1.5 million tons per year, according to the Association for Iron & Steel Technology’s 2021 Directory of Iron and Steel Plants.
Steel Market Update’s average plate price stands at $1,070 per ton ($53.50/cwt), up nearly 6% from $1,010 per ton a month ago and up 22% from $875 per ton at the beginning of the year.
SMU’s average hot-rolled coil price is at $1,210 per ton–an all-time high. It is also up 7% from $1,130 per ton a month ago and up 23% from $985 per ton at the beginning of the year.
By Michael Cowden, Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Michael Cowden
Read more from Michael CowdenLatest in Steel Products

EU HR prices gain ground on US, Asian HR still well behind
Section 232 returned on March 12, and since then, the price gap between offshore and US hot band has tightened.

SMU Community Chat replay now available
The latest SMU Community Chat webinar reply is now available on our website to all members. After logging in at steelmarketupdate.com, visit the community tab and look under the “previous webinars” section of the dropdown menu. All past Community Chat webinars are also available under that selection. If you need help accessing the webinar replay, or if your company […]

SSAB announces $74M expansion in Alabama
The project will expand heat treat capacity at its Axis, Alabama plant

Service centers: Mill orders retreat in March
SMU’s Mill Order Index declined in March after repeated gains at the start of the year, according to our latest service center inventories data.

Nucor maintains plate prices
Nucor aims to keep plate prices flat with the opening of its June order book.