Nucor has opened a micro-plant for the production of rebar in North Carolina

U.S. steel producer Nucor has commissioned a micro-mill in Lexington, North Carolina, according to SMM.

This move enables the company to produce an additional 430,000 short tons of rebar per year. The new facility is geared toward meeting demand in the construction and infrastructure sectors along the U.S. East Coast. As the company notes, this is its third rebar micro-plant (the other two are located in Missouri and Florida).

The project, initially announced in 2022 with a budget of $350 million, was ultimately completed at a cost of approximately $440 million. The production process uses nearly 100% recycled scrap, and the micro-plant has created about 200 jobs.

By locating the micro-mill in Lexington (in the South Atlantic and I-85 corridor), the company is positioning itself closer to projects that require stable, localized steel supplies.

As a reminder, in the first quarter of this year, Nucor increased total shipments of steel products from its steel mills to 7.028 million tons, a 9% increase year-on-year. The utilization rate of the company’s steel mills rose to 86% in January–March, compared to 80% in the same period of 2025. The steel producer reported a successful start to the current year.

As reported by GMK Center, the rebar market in the U.S. was balanced in April. A moderate price increase was expected in the short term, though this depends on actual demand.