US flat steel supply interruptions expected

Plans to shut down US flat steel capacity are ramping up for the rest of the year, with at least 100 days of cutbacks at various factories, according to an analysis by S&P Global Platts.

Most of the major flat steel manufacturers in the United States have scheduled maintenance scheduled for the remainder of the year, with nearly two-thirds of production shutdowns expected in October. The total nominal capacity to be removed from the market will be between 630,000 and 701,000 st. Capacity levels based on Iron and Steel Technology Association data and industry estimates.

AK Steel Dearborn in Michigan should be shut down for no more than 20 days in October, according to a company spokesman. If the shutdown of a blast furnace line lasts a full 20 days, this would result in a reduction of approximately 180,000 nominal production units.

ArcelorMittal USA also has planned downtime at its Burns Harbor, Indiana plant, which is about 150,000 miles over a 20-day period, and over 40,000 miles over a 10-day period at its Cleveland sheet mill. The company cannot be reached for comment.

Nucor and Steel Dynamics have two outages scheduled for October. The Nucor mill in Hickman, Arkansas is expected to be out of service for 10 days, the equivalent of 82,000 tonnes in molten state, while the SDI mill in Butler, Indiana will be unavailable for four days, which is 32,000 miles. according to market sources.

SDI and North Star Bluescope will be idle in November. The SDI shutdown in Columbus, Mississippi is scheduled for four days with a total capacity of 36,800 miles, while the North Star plant in Delta, Ohio will run 30,000 miles over five days.

Nucor will reportedly have two more outages in December. Nucor Gallatin in Kentucky is expected to decline for 10 days in early December, leading to the removal of 43,000 copies from the market, while Nucor Decatur (Alabama) is slated for a week, resulting in the removal of 48,000 copies.

Nucor has scheduled downtime at its Crawfordsville, Indiana plant, but no timing has been set. The outage was originally scheduled for early September, but there were indications that it was being pushed back into the fourth quarter. It is planned to be closed for 14 days.