Nucor finalizes western US mill decision

The board of directors of Charlotte, North Carolina-based electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaker Nucor Corp. have approved an $860 million investment to construct a 650,000-ton-per-year steel rebar micromill in the Pacific Northwest. The company announced its intention to build a mill in the region last October.

This will be Nucor’s fourth and largest rebar micromill, with approximately 50 percent more production capacity than the mill currently under construction in North Carolina, Nucor says, adding that it is continuing to evaluate potential locations.

With funding now in place, the mill is expected to take two years to construct, subject to prompt regulatory approvals.

“The rebar we produce at our Nucor micromills is made from nearly 100 percent-recycled scrap, making it some of the cleanest steel made anywhere in the world,” Nucor President and CEO Leon Topalian says.

“This new rebar micromill in the Pacific Northwest will help Nucor maintain its leadership in the steel bar market and further execute our strategy to better serve our customers west of the Rocky Mountains, which also includes the addition of a melt shop at our Arizona bar mill."

According to Nucor, the new mill will produce a range of rebar sizes and will have spooling capabilities. Rebar is used primarily in the construction of roads, buildings and other structures. With the increase in infrastructure investments in the United States, the domestic rebar market is expected to show continued strength, the steelmaker says.

Nucor has 15 bar mills in the U.S. that make several different types of carbon and alloy steel products. The company's bar mill capacity as of the end of 2023 is approximately 9.6 million tons per year.

In addition to making steel, Nucor owns the David J. Joseph Co., which processes and brokers ferrous and nonferrous scrap metal at a national network of facilities. The company’s downstream business units also make steel racking, steel piling, steel joists and joist girders, steel deck; castings, fasteners, metal building systems, insulated metal panels, overhead doors, steel grating, wire and wire mesh and utility structures.