Steel Manufacturing Companies in Illinois

Illinois has approximately 13,000 manufacturing establishments and 570,000 manufacturing employees. Illinois is a top-five manufacturing state, with Chicago as a metal fabrication and food processing center, Peoria as Caterpillar's headquarters, and a vast network of industrial suppliers.

Illinois is one of the leading states for steel manufacturing. Steel manufacturing includes integrated steel mills, electric arc furnace (EAF) mini-mills, and specialty steel producers that collectively produce approximately 80 million tons of steel annually in the US. The industry is dominated by companies like Nucor, US Steel, Steel Dynamics, and Cleveland-Cliffs, with mini-mills now accounting for over 70% of domestic production.

Integrated Steel Mills: Facilities operating blast furnaces and basic oxygen furnaces to produce steel from iron ore, like US Steel and Cleveland-Cliffs.

EAF Mini-Mills: Electric arc furnace operators like Nucor and Steel Dynamics producing steel from scrap and DRI.

Specialty Steel Producers: Companies producing stainless steel, tool steel, alloy steel, and other specialty grades for demanding applications.

Steel Service Centers: Distribution and processing companies that slit, cut, blank, and process steel for manufacturing customers.

Major industrial centers in Illinois include Chicago, Rockford, Peoria, Aurora, Joliet, and Elgin. These cities have concentrations of manufacturers across sectors including metal fabrication, food processing manufacturing, and chemical manufacturing.