Growth Markets
April 21, 2026
Steel Dynamics produces aluminum from Mississippi as flat-rolled operations ramp up
Written by Stephanie Ritenbaugh
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) is producing aluminum products from its new flat-rolled mill in Columbus, Miss., and is getting requests for product qualifications from additional consumers, the company said Tuesday.
SDI, which runs Aluminum Dynamics Inc. (ADI), has been ramping up production in Columbus, and at a recycled slab center in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
Two of the three planned cold mills are ramping operations and producing prime products. A third cold mill is scheduled to commission in Q3’26.
The first of two planned continuous anneal and solution heat treat (CASH) lines for finished automotive products is operational. The second CASH line is also expected to commission in the third quarter.
“The teams successfully produced finished products for the industrial and beverage can sectors, receiving product qualifications from numerous can sheet consumers and additional qualifications are ongoing,” Mark Millett, chairman and CEO, said in an earnings call.
Earnings for the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based company’s aluminum segment were lower than anticipated. The company reported an operating loss of $65 million, compared to a loss of $47 million in Q4’25.
Executives attributed the widened loss to a quality issue causing some inventory to be written down. It has been resolved, they said.
Aluminum flat-rolled finished product shipments increased from 14,600 metric tons in the sequential fourth quarter to 22,500 metric tons in the first quarter 2026.
Millet said the company expects strong demand this year.
SDI is “navigating a rolling aluminum market manifested by the tragic impacts of the Iranian war and the domestic supply chain challenges,” Millet said. “But beyond these hopefully near-term constraints, we’re also experiencing a unique and very favorable long-term market environment.”
He noted that the domestic market has a supply deficit of more than 1.4 million tons of aluminum sheet.
“In 2024 and 2025, that deficit was supplied through high-cost imports, which are now even higher as tariffs increased from 10% in ’24 to the current 50% level,” Millett said.
Product mix
ADI said it has received certification from multiple customers for industrial and can sheet finished products and automotive hot band and finished products.
“We believe we could receive acceptance in the coming weeks. This accelerated certification should allow us to shift our product mix to a higher-margin mix this year, reaching the planned optimized mix of 45% can sheet, 35% automotive and 20% industrial sometime in 2027,” Millett said.
So far, ADI has rolled 3000, 5000 and 6000 alloys. The cold reversing mill is producing 3003, 5052 and 3104 product.
