This paper provides an overview of the methods used to produce steel in North America today, and describes steel's inherent recycled content.
Contemporary technologies produce steel in two ways, both of which require old steel to make new.
Many are surprised to learn that steel is the world's, as well as North America's, most recycled material, and in the United States alone, nearly 70 million tons of steel were recycled in 2000. This is done for economic as well as environmental reasons. It is always cheaper to recycle steel than to mine virgin ore and move it through the process of making new steel. However, it should also be clearly understood that many steel applications are durables, and even though two out of every three pounds of new steel are produced from old steel, the fact that cars, appliances and bridges last a long time makes it necessary to continue to mine virgin ore to supplement the production of new steel. Economic expansion, domestically and internationally, creates additional demand that cannot be fully met by available scrap supplies.