What was the largest steel mill complex in the US? Was it barge served or just rail served? Is it still operating? Thanks.
dd
As far as I know Carnigie Steel which later became US Steel was the largest in the United States. US Steel later took over Bethlehem Steel, after the take over Bethlehem Steel became bankrupt, and finally seased operations in the late 1980s Bethlehem also had lots of dealings in real estate, including the take over of many profitable steel mills in PA.
At which time? Today it’s Indiana Harbor, now owned by Arcelor Mittal Steel.
Current capacities for some major integrated mills in U.S. (million tons raw steel per year)
Indiana Harbor (Mittal), 10.0
Gary (U.S. Steel), 7.5
Burns Harbor (Mittal), 4.7
Cleveland (Mittal, former LTV and Republic combined), 3.9
Sparrows Point (Mittal), 3.7
Weirton (Mittal), 3.0
Fairfield (U.S. Steel), 2.4
Edgar Thomson (U.S. Steel), 2.8
Steelton (Mittal), 1.0
All of these are in current operation. Inland Steel is served by lake boat, rail, and barge, as are Gary and Burns Harbor.
S. Hadid
U.S. Steel did not take over Bethlehem Steel nor merge with it nor control it. Bethlehem filed for bankruptcy on October 15, 2001. Selected assets (the good ones) were sold to International Steel Group in May 2003, which was =sold to Mittal Steel Group in May 2005, which recently merged with Arcelor to become Arcelor Mittal.
U.S. Steel was the merger of Carnegie Steel with Federal Steel Company, which was as large as Carnegie Steel but never had the fame (or infamy) of Carnegie.
S. Hadid
Thanks for the information thus far. I may be doing a study on “reverse economies of scale” – the point at which a large operation becomes vulnerable to smaller operations. There are numerous equipment examples from railroad and other industries. I have already looked at automotive and thought that steel would be a good example.
dd
…With the figures posted above of capacities it makes me wonder what the size and capacity may have been at the Bethlehem plant complex in Johnstown, Pa. It was scattered along that valley for about 15 miles…I’m talking back in it’s hay days which would have been early 50’s, etc…
Johnstown also had US Steel plants.
What a shame to view all those complex structures now…A witness to what has happened to much of America’s manufacturing giants. I remember of the smoke filled valleys from such steel processes with upwards of 25,000 employed in the industry in that area.
From my home area 20 some miles away if the cloud formation was as such at night, one could see the red glow from the busyness of the mills operating there in Johnstown.
I live in NW Indiana and “da mills” have always been important economic and social fabrics of da region.
As many times as I have driven past USX, Inland (Mittal) and LTV (Mittal) I never cease to be amazed at the economic whallop of those mills. Throw in the refinery in Whiting and one might argue that the NW Indiana area on Lake Michigan from Whiting to Burns Harbor is the most industrialized manufacturing region in the world. (not saying it is, but it certainly would be in the team picture).
Mr. Mittal has certainly changed the industry. Still, the mini mills are doing quite well these days.
ed
In the list Mr. Hadid posted earlier, Burns Harbor (IN) and Sparrows Point (Baltimore, MD) are former Bethlehem Steel facilities. The last time I saw it, about 10 years ago, many of the buildings at Sparrows Point looked to be not in use.
How do you want big defined? Tonnage or square miles. I would say the biggest ever was USX Gary works. 8 miles of shoreline and 2-3 miles deep at points. Had four hot strip mills, 28 merchant mills, plate mill and made every product at one point aroundWW2. Today it is mostly a greenfield site.
Good question. I had assumed that tonnage and square miles were generally correlated - although I suppose one could put a little scrap mill in the corner of a 2,500 acre farm and say they had a 4 sq mile steel mill. USX Gary works sounds just what I was looking for as a starting point.
Are there others nearly as large?
Thanks.
dd
I would agree with you, Ed, except to put this in the past tense. There were three or four large refineries around East Chicago and Whiting at one time, and much of what used to be bustling industrial land (and trackage) looks pretty sad nowadays. Of course, this industrial belt extended across the border into Chicago, with Calumet Harbor and U.S. Steel’s South Works, at one point.
As a kid I had the opportunitiy to ride B&O passenger trains into and out of Pittsuburgh along the river from McKeesport, through the P&LE Station and on toward New Castle…the light shows provided by the various mills that occupied that stretch of right of way was an amazing sight to see. Memories, Memories, Memories.
The idea of any steel mill being a “greenfield site” is amusing; I’ve always seen them referred to in the trade as “brownfield sites.” But Gary Works is still alive and equipped on its 3,000 acres with 3 coke batteries producing 1.6 million tons per year, 4 blast furnaces, 3 BOP furnaces, 4 continuous casters, an 84-inch hot strip mill, three cold-rolling lines (six-stand, five-stand, and two-stand), a hot-dip line, an electrogalvanizing line, and a tinning line.
Perhaps you’re thinking of U.S. Steel’s South Works, which was closed in 1992 and subsequently razed?
As to tonnage and square miles being correlated, only roughly. Sparrows Point was immense, approximately 3,000 acres, not including the associated Bethlehem Steel Co. ship construction yard. It produced 5.8 million tons as recently as 1969, and still puts out 3 million tons a year but with about 1/10th the workforce as in 1969. By comparison, the modern Geneva Works of U.S. Steel, produced 2.2 million tons year on 1,750 acres. Generally the older the mill the more cramped the site.
Now to the question of world’s largest, back when the U.S. had the title. In 1957, when Bethlehe
What past tense? Whiting is still the second largest refinery in the U.S. The Chicago District is far and away the largest steel producer in the U.S. Chicago is still the largest intermodal terminal in the world in terms of total lifts. Chicago still has more manufacturing jobs than any city in the U.S.
S. Hadid
Mr. Hadid:
I live in the vast shadows of the mills, yet know very little about their operations. Perhaps, you can assist me on this.
NS runs three regular “coal” trains just about daily to the EJE. One I have been told is a coke train, which I assume is for USX. It is train 412. Is it possible for a steel mill to consume 3 daily trains of coal? I am just curious where all of that coal goes that is transferred to the J. I have to assume to USX.
BTW, what exactly is “coke”?
ed
NS runs three regular “coal” trains just about daily to the EJE. One I have been told is a coke train, which I assume is for USX. It is train 412. Is it possible for a steel mill to consume 3 daily trains of coal? I am just curious where all of that coal goes that is transferred to the J. I have to assume to USX.
BTW, what exactly is “coke”?
Tough to answer in 25 words or less. Coal consists of many chemicals including carbon, Toulene, naptha, coal tar, benzene and about twenty other carcinogenic liquids and gasses. The only real desired element in all that is the carbon to dump into the blast furnaces. Most people think it is there to melt the ore which is not the case. It’s purpose with the heat it generates is to provide a reducing atmosphere and provide the energy to free the iron from the oxygen which is its natural state (rust for lack of a better description). The coal is heated in coke ovens to drive all those other cheimcals out and leave just the carbon. This is done by a process called destructive distallization in which the coal is in a firebrick oven typically 18" wide and 9-10 feet high by up to 100 feet long or more. On both sides are chambers where fuel is burned to heat the brick and the coal. This drives off the other chemicals which are sent to the byproducts plant for separation and storage until enough is gathered to warrant shipment. History and engineering determine when this is complete at which time the door opn either end is opened and a quench car is placed in front of the discharge side of the oven. On the other end a large ram pushs all the coke out of the oven into the car. The coke is red hot and would burn completely except that the car is taken to a quench tower where tons of water are poured onto it to cool and stop it from burning. it is the dumped onto a brick area to further cool called the coke wharf and then taken to a blast furnace or stored for future
…Coke is carbonized coal…The impurities have been burned off.
Assuming U.S. Steel Gary Works is converting coal to coke at a 70% ratio, then its coke ovens consume 2.28 million tons of coal per year, or 6,246 tons per day, or about 62 carloads a day – not even close to three trains worth. Sunoco, which now operates the former Inland Steel coke plant at Indiana Harbor, presumably consumes another 1.8 million tons of coal per year, or another 51 carloads per day. Now we’re up to one train! As I recall U.S. Steel and Mittal Steel meet about 70% of their coke needs from these co-located plants, and receive the rest from Clairton, Pa., and Haverhill, Ohio, respectively. That would account for one coal train and one coke train a day, combined. But the Inland Steel property is switched by IHB, not EJ&E.
S. Hadid
Which has been demolished. There are no integrated steel mills west of the Mississippi River now. To the best of my knowledge, there were only three integrated steel mills west of the Mississippi River.
Geneva Steel (former US Steel plant), Geneva, UT: completely demolished
Colorado Fuel and Iron, Pueblo, CO: finishing mills now part of Rocky Mountain Steel, division of Oregon Steel Mills, mini-mill.
Kaiser Steel: Primary steel production facilities removed, finishing mills now part of California Steel Industries.
Speaking of which, I have search numerous time for photographs of the Kaiser Steel mill back when it was operating and cannot find any. Would you happen to know where any are located?