Steel Mills

Subcontractors for USS Stole~$2M of Scrap: Police
Written by Ethan Bernard
October 18, 2023
Subcontractors for U.S. Steel in northwest Indiana stole ~20 million pounds of scrap valued at ~$2 million over a two-year period, according to local police.
The subcontractors diverted slitter scrap from a U.S. Steel facility in Portage, Ind., that was supposed to be delivered to the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker’s nearby Gary Works steel mill, a detective for the Portage Police Department told SMU on Tuesday. The detective asked to remain anonymous.
U.S. Steel’s Midwest Plant is in Portage, which is about 10 miles from Gary, Ind. The plant functions as a finishing facility for Gary Works. It makes tin-mill products as well as hot-dripped galvanized, cold-rolled, and electrical lamination steels, according to U.S. Steel’s website.
The slitter scrap was instead sold to a local Portage recycling facility. The detective declined to name the yard because of an ongoing investigation.
The police received a report in August 2022 about a load of stolen scrap metal. Police subsequently found other loads had been stolen as far back as August 2020, according to an article in the Times of Northwest Indiana on Monday. Six men have been arrested and charged with felonies.
“U.S. Steel takes the ethical conduct of its employees and contractors very seriously,” a U.S. Steel spokeswoman said in a statement to SMU.
The company is cooperating fully with investigators. “We will continue to examine potential areas of fraud and misconduct and aggressively pursue those engaging in such activity,” she said.

Ethan Bernard
Read more from Ethan BernardLatest in Steel Mills

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.

Steel Summit: Burritt says USS and Nippon are fast-tracking modern steelmaking
U.S. Steel President and CEO David Burritt told audiences at SMU's Steel Summit 2025 that the iconic American steelmaker’s partnership with Nippon Steel is fast-tracking smarter steel production.

Nucor moves to stop HRC price slide with $10/ton hike
Nucor is attempting to halt the decline in hot-rolled coil prices with the announcement of a $10-per-short-ton increase in its weekly consumer spot price on Monday.

Explosion rocks ArcelorMittal’s DR plant in Mexico
ArcelorMittal reported a "strong" explosion at the direct reduction part of its massive Lazaro Cardenas mill in Mexico.

SDI to acquire remaining stake in New Process Steel
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) announced that it has agreed to acquire the remaining 55% equity interest in New Process Steel.