Nucor Corp., Charlotte, NC, announced plans to build its new tube mill on the site of its Nucor Steel Gallatin sheet mill in Kentucky. This location will allow the company to take advantage of investments the company has made to expand capacity of the Gallatin mill and add a galvanizing line.
"With our recent investments to expand capacity at Nucor Steel Gallatin and add a galvanizing line, our Gallatin campus is an ideal location to build our new tube mill," said Leon Topalian, president and CEO, in the press release. "The new tube mill will allow us to better serve our customers in the construction, infrastructure and renewable energy markets."
The new tube mill will have the capacity to produce approximately 250,000 tons of hollow structural section (HSS) steel tubing, mechanical steel tubing and galvanized solar torque tube. The Kentucky location puts the new tube mill near expanding solar markets in the U.S. and the largest consuming regions for HSS steel tubing.
Nucor's Tubular Products (NTP) Group was formed in late 2016 when Nucor entered the tube market with the acquisitions of Independence Tube Corp., Southland Tube and Republic Conduit. Today, NTP consists of eight tubular facilities that are strategically located in close proximity to Nucor's sheet mills as they are a consumer of hot-rolled coil. The NTP Group produces HSS steel tubing, mechanical steel tubing, piling, sprinkler pipe, galvanized tube, heat-treated tubing and electrical conduit. Total annual NTP capacity is approximately 1,365,000 tons.