Integrated steelmaker US Steel has restarted its last remaining idled blast furnace at its Gary Works steel mill in Indiana.
The company brought back online its 1.5mn short tons (st)/yr No. 8 blast furnace at Gary Works, which had been idled since 7 September 2022, as demand improved.
US Steel blamed high import levels and market conditions when it idled the furnace.
The decision comes about a month after US Steel restarted its idled 1.4mn st/yr No. 3 blast furnace at its Mon Valley Works in Pennsylvania.
The Argus US HRC Midwest and southern assessments rose to $1,150/st yesterday and have risen by 83pc since hitting a recent low in late November.