Steel service center is a catchall name for an operation that buys finished steel, often processes it in some way and then sells it in a slightly different form. Service centers are the intermediaries between steel producers and finished product producers. They distribute the steel and other metal products in the exact quantities and the exact form at the exact time that customers require. No, the steel service centers and steel mills are different.
Steel mills are the makers of steel and they typically sell it in large quantities.
Service centers buy the steel produced by the mills and distribute it or perform further processing on it. Service centers are less capital intensive than mills because they do not need furnaces, casters, rolling mills, etc. There are over 5,000 steel service center locations throughout the U.S., with locations in every state. The steel service center industry employs over 88,000 people. The industry ships approximately 27 million tons of steel annually.