Steel Mills

SMU Exclusive: SDI Starting Up Sinton Paint Line, Galv to Follow
Written by Michael Cowden
July 2, 2021
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) is in the process of starting up the coating lines at its new steel mill in Sinton, Texas, a company spokesman confirmed.
The paint line at Sinton has been threaded, and painting is expected to begin in approximately two weeks, he said.
The mill’s galvanizing line, meanwhile, is slated to start in late July or August, the spokesman said.
The paint line is expected to have annual coating capacity of 250,000 tons. And the galvanizing line is expected to have capacity of 550,000 tons per year, SDI has said.
SDI has also said that it plans to start up Sinton’s coating lines before it begins melting and hot-rolling operations at the mill, which is located approximately 25 miles from Corpus Christi.
The $1.9-billion steel mill, construction of which started in early 2020, is expected to begin making hot-rolled coil in late summer. The startup comes amid the hottest steel market in decades.
Case in point: Galvanized base prices stand at $1,970 per ton ($98.50 per cwt), up 82% from $1,085 per ton at the beginning of the year and more than triple $655 per ton a year ago, according to SMU’s interactive price tool.
Lead times for galvanized product are out as far as 16 weeks – or into late October – at some producers. And SMU’s sentiment index, at +78, remains near record highs.
By Michael Cowden, Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Michael Cowden
Read more from Michael CowdenLatest in Steel Mills

Domestic mill shipments slip in July: AISI
US steel shipments decreased month over month in July, but were up from last year, according to the latest figures from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

Nippon and USS drop litigation vs. USW and Cliffs
Another chapter of the Great U.S. Steel Buyout of the 2020s melodrama has closed, with all involved parties terminating the litigation disputes between them.

Steel Summit: Analysts say demand likely to struggle until 2027
Steel industry analysts at this year's SMU Steel Summit said they see lackluster demand through this year and next.

USS Clairton begins full production of batteries 19 and 20, 13 and 14 hot idled
U.S. Steel has activated batteries 19 and 20 at its Clairton Coke Works facility after pausing each “out of an abundance precaution” following an explosion at the site on Aug. 11.

Steel Summit: Schneider sees SDI ‘on the edge of a very good run’
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) President and Chief Operating Officer, Barry Schneider, remains bullish about the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker’s position in the current market.