Steel Mills

Reliance Extends Reach into Tubulars Market with Merfish Acquisition
Written by Tim Triplett
August 4, 2021
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. has agreed to purchase Merfish United, adding a master distributor of tubular building products to the service center’s already extensive portfolio of companies. Terms of the deal, which is expected to close within 60 days, were not disclosed.
Reliance will acquire Merfish from One Equity Partners, a middle market private equity firm. Headquartered in Ipswich, Mass., Merfish United serves 47 U.S. states through its 12 strategically located distribution centers. Merfish United’s broad product offering includes full lines of steel pipe, copper tubing, plastic pipe, electrical conduit and related products for the commercial, residential, municipal and industrial building markets. For the year ended June 30, Merfish United’s net sales totaled approximately $500 million.
This deal fits within Reliance’s strategy of acquiring not only other, well managed service centers but also related businesses. The acquisition of Merfish United significantly increases Reliance’s exposure to copper and plastic products. In addition, it will help position Reliance in the adjacent industrial distribution space and create a platform for further growth in this area, both organically and through future acquisitions, the company said.
Merfish United services national accounts, buying groups and independent wholesale distribution customers nationwide using a proprietary fleet of 65 trucks. The current Merfish United team, including management, is expected to remain in place.
Los Angeles-based Reliance Steel & Aluminum is the industry’s largest metals service center and processor with 300 locations in 40 states and 13 countries and annual sales in excess of $10 billion.

Tim Triplett
Read more from Tim TriplettLatest in Steel Mills

Atlas completes Evraz NA deal, renames firm, and hires former USS exec as CEO
Atlas Holdings has completed its acquisition of Evraz North America (Evraz NA) and its subsidiaries.

ArcelorMittal: As tariffs slow global growth, Calvert could be a bright spot
ArcelorMittal expects less demand growth across most of the markets it operates in, including the US, because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. But the Luxembourg-based steelmaker also thinks it stands to benefit from an increasingly regionalized world thanks to investments like the new EAF at its mill in Calvert, Ala.

Ternium posts solid Q2, expects further shipment growth
Latin American steel producer Ternium delivered a solid performance in the second quarter of 2025. Performance was driven primarily by higher realized steel prices in Mexico, even as shipment volumes declined slightly across its regional portfolio.

Algoma swings to loss on ‘unprecedented disruptions’ and trade barriers
Canada’s Algoma Steel saw a sharp loss in the second quarter amid a continued challenging market environment and “tariff uncertainties.”

Nucor eyes long-term gains amid strong demand and trade enforcement
Resilient demand across its steel product lines, combined with the continued ramp-up of key expansion projects, drove Nucor’s improved financial results and record-setting performance in the second quarter. That’s according to company executives speaking on an earnings conference call on Tuesday.