Steel Mills

Cliffs idles Steelton, Riverdale, and Conshohocken operations

July 1, 2025

Cleveland-Cliffs’ previously announced idlings at its Riverdale, Ill., Conshohocken, Pa., and Steelton, Pa., mills have gone into effect.

That’s according to WARN Notices from the affected states and Cliffs’ website.

Recall that in early May the Cleveland-based steelmaker announced the idlings would take place on or around June 30. Insufficient demand and pricing were cited as drivers. At the time, the steelmaker said ~950 jobs would be impacted.

Cliffs declined to provide additional comment on this story. A request for comment from the United Steelworkers union, which represents workers at the facilities, was not returned by time of publication.

Steelton

The Steelton mill, which makes steel rails, was listed in “full idle,” per Cliffs’ website.

A Pennsylvania WARN notice from May said 559 workers were affected. Regarding whether it was listed as closure or layoff, the notice listed it was a “layoff.”

Located near Harrisburg, Pa., the facility also sports an EAF with ladle refining and vacuum degassing facilities, a three-strand continuous jumbo bloom caster, and an ingot-teeming facility.

Cliffs in its first quarter earnings report said that Steelton was idled in part because of import competition from Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel.

Company Chair, President, and CEO Lourenco Goncalves said during a press conference in early June that Steelton would remain idle despite higher Section 232 tariffs.

Riverdale

The Riverdale operation was also listed in “full idle” on Cliffs’ website.

An Illinois WARN notice from May 2 said layoffs there were because of a “plant closure,” with an effective date of June 30.

Riverdale is a compact strip mill that produces hot-rolled sheet. It is located 14 miles away from Cliffs’ Indiana Harbor Facility in East Chicago, Ind. Riverdale had sourced hot metal from East Chicago via specialized “torpedo” rail cars.

Conshohocken

A Pennsylvania WARN notice from May listed 107 employees affected at the Conshohocken plant, with the closure or layoff category listed as “layoff.”

The effective date listed was June 30.

Conshohocken is a plate finishing facility near Philadelphia.

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is managing editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years, starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA. in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.