JSW Steel's output at its electric arc furnace (EAF) in Ohio hit a 15-month high in the latest quarter supported by US steel import tariffs.
The India-based firm produced 260,000 short tons (st) of steel at the Mingo Junction EAF in the quarter ending 30 June, up 3pc from 253,000st in the same period last year, according to its 18 July earnings report.
Capacity utilization for the 1.5mn metric tonne/yr (1.65mn short ton/yr) mill rose to 72pc, the highest since the fourth quarter of 2023.
The company sold 220,000st of slabs from the Ohio plant, up about 16pc from a year earlier. The mill's hot-rolled coil (HRC) sales volumes rose to 60,000st, about 20pc more than the same period last year.
President Donald Trump put a 25pc tariff on US steel imports in March. HRC prices rallied in response and reached a peak of $950/short ton (st) between mid-March and mid-April. Trump doubled tariffs on US steel imports in early June to further support domestic steelmakers, but US HRC prices did not react because of lackluster end-user demand.
Argus' HRC ex-works Midwest assessment fell from $950/short ton (st) on 1 April to $882.50/st on 1 July.
The Mingo Junction segment posted positive earnings of $1.35mn before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) for the quarter compared with a $15.6mn loss a year earlier.
JSW's mill in Baytown, Texas, produced 140,000st of plate in the quarter, up about 27pc from the prior year and 10,000t of pipe, unchanged over the same comparison.
Sales volumes of plate at the mill rose 20pc to 120,000st from the prior year, while pipe sales were flat at 10,000st from the previous year. Baytown's plate mill utilization rate was 53pc while its utilization rate for pipe was 10pc.
The Baytown mill reported $19mn in Ebitda for the quarter, up from $13mn in the same period in 2024.
