Industry Profile

  • America’s steel industry adds $350 billion annually to the U.S. economy and generates more than one million direct and indirect jobs.

  • In the US, the steel industry operates over 100 facilities employing 135,000 people producing steel shipments valued at 70 billion dollars (2010 data).

  • Because of steel’s broad range of applications – including renewable energy infrastructure, machinery and equipment, defense, transportation and infrastructure – the industry is vital to our nation’s economic and national security.

  • Labor productivity of U.S. steel producers has improved 5.7 percent per year on average, outstripping the 3.9 percent growth in U.S. manufacturing labor productivity over the same period.

  • Steel is the most recycled material on the planet. The 2009 recycling rate for steel was 83.3 percent.

  • We are a world leader in energy efficiency. The U.S. steel industry has reduced its energy intensity per ton of steel shipped by 30 percent since 1990 and we’ve reduced CO2 emissions by 35 percent for that same period.

  • The North American steel industry is committed to the highest safety and health standards. Our members are committed to continuous improvement in safety and health and to achieving and injury-free workplace. Over the past seven years, U.S. steel producers have achieved a 60 percent reduction in both the total OSHA recordable injury and illness and lost workday case rates while reaching record levels of productivity.

  • More steel is recycled than paper, plastic, aluminum and glass combined. Steel is 100 percent recyclable and infinitely recyclable, meaning it will not lose integrity or need to be downcycled like other materials.