Steel Mills

US Steel Blames Imports for Temp Idling of Gary Works Tin Line
Written by Michael Cowden
September 6, 2022
US Steel has temporarily idled the No. 5 tin line at its Gary Works in northwest Indiana.
The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker indicated that the move was necessary because of weaker demand and increased import volumes.
“The company’s other tin operations continue to operate in line with customer demand. We expect to bring number 5 tin line back online when market conditions allow,” a company spokeswoman said in an email to Steel Market Update on Tuesday, Sept. 6.
There were no job losses stemming from the idling because employees impacted by it were moved to other areas of Gary Works, she added.
Gary Works is US Steel’s largest steelmaking complex. It has raw steel capacity of 7.5 million tons per year. The plant makes hot-rolled, cold-rolled and coated sheet – including tin mill products.
Tin products are used the food and beverage container industry as well as in aerosol cans and in paint cans and pails, according to the company’s website.
As for imports, the US brought in 797,351.6 metric tons of tin plate in 2021, up 14.3% from 697,327.4 tons in 2020 and up 16.5% from 685,791.5 tons in 2019, according to Commerce Department figures.
Imported tin mill products now account for more than 60% of estimated domestic market consumption, the US Steel spokeswoman said.
“This temporary idling at Gary is proof that increases in imported steel remain a very real threat to the livelihoods of the workforce at American steel producers,” she added.
By Michael Cowden, Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Michael Cowden
Read more from Michael CowdenLatest in Steel Mills

Ternium pushes forward with growth projects despite slump in earnings and Mexican market
Ternium S.A. Fourth quarter ended Dec.31 2024 2023 Change Net sales $3,876 $4,931 -21.4% Net income (loss) $333 $554 -39.9% Per diluted share $1.43 $2.11 -32.2% Full year ended Dec.31 Net sales $17,649 $17,610 0.2% Net income (loss) $174 $986 -82.4% Per diluted share $(0.27) $3.44 -108% (in millions of dollars except per share) While […]

Kestenbaum, Ancora state their case in proxy fight for U.S. Steel
Ancora Holdings is moving forward with its proxy fight to oust U.S. Steel’s leadership and install a new board of directors and Alan Kestenbaum as CEO.
BlueScope shelves midstream facility but still upbeat on US
BlueScope Steel is pulling back on its expansion plans in the US for now but remains optimistic about the North American market.

Japanese PM cites ‘unjust political interference’ in Nippon/USS deal: Report
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Monday that former President Joe Biden’s decision to block Nippon Steel’s buy of U.S. Steel was “unjust political interference,” according to a report in Reuters. This comes after another Reuters report on Friday saying that President Trump would not object to Nippon taking a minority stake in the […]

Trump says Nippon will ‘invest heavily’ in USS rather than buy it
Nippon Steel has agreed to “invest heavily in U.S. Steel as opposed to own it,” President Donald Trump said on Friday during a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. U.S. Steel is “a very important company” and was once “the greatest company in the world”. Of potential foreign ownership of the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker, Trump said, “the concept, psychologically, not good."