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IRON AND STEEL

Overview

PROCESSES

• Agglomeration
  
• Coking
  
• Blast Furnace
  
• Direct Reduction
• Basic Oxygen Furnace
• Electric Arc Furnace
• Heat Treating
• Ladle Metallurgy
• Continuous Casting
• Ingot Casting
• Ladle Preheating
• Secondary Finishing
• Surface Coating
  
  

ALUMINUM

Overview

PROCESSES

• Mining/Primary Processing
  
• Recycle/Scrap Melting
  
• Aluminum Casting
  
• Aluminum Smelting
  
• Anode Baking
  
• Bauxite Mining
  
• Bauxite Refining
  
• Extrusion
  
• Forging
  
• Heat Treating
  
• Molten Handling
  
• Rolling

The figure shows the transaction prices for a variety of steel products. Prices have been increasing as a result of strong demand and also increased scrap prices that are exerting a cost push effect. The more complicated the processing required, the higher the costs. At the low end of the price spectrum are reinforcing bar (rebar) and wire rod. Galvanized and cold rolled sheet must meet more exacting quality standards and more extensive processing, so costs are nearly twice the cost of rebar. Stainless steel sheet (not shown) costs $2200-2600 per ton.

Steel Semiannual Monitoring Report, U.S. International Trade Commission, Publication 2878, April 1995.