Ways of reducing the cost of steelmaking

The ferrous metallurgy sector is currently growing both by modernizing existing plants and by building new facilities - mainly mini-mills. The chief raw material for such mills consists of scrap and ferrous-metal wastes formed by metallurgical operations carried out within the given region. By using less costly types of scrap, preheating the scrap before charging, and using melted chips (which also increases productivity), it is possible to lower the production cost of semifinished products by 17-21% without adversely affecting their quality or the quality of the finished products. This will in turn make it possible to produce reinforcement bars and wire rod that will be competitive in the marketplace.