# Primary Steelmakers vs MiniMills

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/primary-steelmakers-vs-minimills/348752>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 17, 2006, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/primary-steelmakers-vs-minimills/348752 "2006-03-17T15:24:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/primary-steelmakers-vs-minimills/348752/1 "2006-03-17T15:24:31Z")

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I have read that primary steel mills in the USA are in trouble-they cannot compete with syeel made in China, india, etc. However, the USA has a very competitive steel industry-the so-called “mini mills”. These are companies that basically remelt scrap steel, and recast it into beams, rails, sheet, etc. They are profitable and competitive. my question: does the USA have enough scrap steel lying around, such that we don’t have to actually make new steel? take old bridges, cars, other junk-could we go without mining iron ore and making steel out of it? or just “mine” the junkyards of the USA forever?

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**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2006, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/primary-steelmakers-vs-minimills/348752/2 "2006-03-18T16:07:15Z")

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> [@ralph124c](#):
>
> does the USA have enough scrap steel lying around, such that we don’t have to actually make new steel? take old bridges, cars, other junk-could we go without mining iron ore and making steel out of it? or just “mine” the junkyards of the USA forever?

Not as far as I am aware. However, a chunk of steel demand can be met using minimill-recycled scrap. For specific grades of steel that are better made from scratch, there’s still a need for old-style integrated mills, and some of their product will eventually end up with the minimills as scrap. Also, as the relative prices of scrap steel and iron ore/coke swing back and forth, you’d expect to see changes in the market presence of minimills versus integrated producers.

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**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2006, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/primary-steelmakers-vs-minimills/348752/3 "2006-03-18T22:22:10Z")

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> [@ralph124c](#):
>
> I have read that primary steel mills in the USA are in trouble-they cannot compete with syeel made in China, india, etc. However, the USA has a very competitive steel industry-the so-called “mini mills”. These are companies that basically remelt scrap steel, and recast it into beams, rails, sheet, etc. They are profitable and competitive. my question: does the USA have enough scrap steel lying around, such that we don’t have to actually make new steel? take old bridges, cars, other junk-could we go without mining iron ore and making steel out of it? or just “mine” the junkyards of the USA forever?

I don’t have any idea of the tonnage BUT we import a large quantity of steel every year.  
Don’t need to produce it by smelting ore.  
We import autos and wreckem as fast as we can. :rolleyes:  
We have scrap automobiles all over the place to feed the mini-mills! :smack: