Steel: the smart choice at home

03.10.2015

Minus automobiles, it’s estimated that the typical household contains more than 1,000 pounds of steel. For household items, all light flat-rolled carbon products – including hot-rolled, cold-rolled, galvanized, Galvalume®, aluminized, and galvannealed – are used in a variety of applications. When you add in our top quality tin plate and long carbon products the list really grows.

Some noteworthy products made by particular ArcelorMittal USA facilities include:

• Motor lamination steel for motors and enameling steel for bathtubs from Indiana Harbor
• Nickel flash-coated, cold-rolled product from I/N Tek for appliances
• High carbon and heat treatable hot rolled from Riverdale for hand and garden tools
• Hot rolled and cold rolled coils for water heater tanks from Burns Harbor

But when most people think of household steel items, they immediately think of major home appliances – and for good reason. Much like the steel industry over the past several years, the multi-billion dollar a year appliance industry has undergone a tremendous consolidation with several brand names now falling under fewer manufacturers. One major home appliance company leading that effort is Whirlpool which now carries the Amana, Maytag, Jenn-Air and Kitchen Aid brands.

“Whirlpool continues to position themselves as the leader in the appliance industry with strong brand names and a loyal customer following,” said Shelby Pixley, director of OEM sales, ArcelorMittal USA. “ArcelorMittal works closely with Whirlpool in supplying the highest quality products with a focus on innovation. With the general economic and housing market recovery, we expect demand to steadily increase and look forward to continuing our partnership with Whirlpool.”

Overall, it’s not difficult to make a case for purchasing household items made of steel and, more importantly, those made with ArcelorMittal steel, over other competing materials. Still, the American Iron and Steel Institute provides a few more good reasons for choosing steel-made products.

• Energy efficient – According to the EPA, recycled iron and steel save the nation 74 percent of the energy that would have been needed to make new steel.

• Recyclable and recycled – The overall annual recycling rate for steel is nearly 88 percent. Each year, more than 70 million tons of steel are recycled. That is more than aluminum, paper, glass and plastic combined. A typical appliance is produced using 65 percent steel which is the primary reason nearly 90 percent of discarded appliances are recycled each year.

• Sustainability – Energy conserved by recycling instead of making new steel would be enough to electrically power about 20 million homes for a year.

Household items made with steel

Below is listing of common household items made with steel and some of the manufacturers of these products.

Aerosol cans – Ball, BWay, Crown
Air conditioners – Carrier, Rheem
Bakeware – G&S Metal Products
Barbecue grills – MetalsUSA for Weber
Basketball pole/hoop
Bathtubs – Bootz
Beams
Bed supports/frames/springs
Bicycles
Brooms – Arlington Metals
Buckets/pails
Canned goods – Seneca Foods, CanCorp, Ball, Sonoco, Crown
Car jacks
Ceiling grids – Worthington for Wave
Chimney caps
Clocks
Clothes hangers
Corner beads for drywall
Culvert
Curtain rods
Decorative ornamentation
Decorative tins – Independent Can Co.
Desk supplies, i.e. staplers
Desktop computers
Dishwashers – CoilPlus, Whirlpool (Maytag, Jenn-Air, Kitchen Aid)
Door knobs and hinges
Dryers – Whirlpool (Maytag, Kitchen Aid, Jenn-Air), CoilPlus, Alliance Laundry
Ductwork
Eating utensils
Entry door – Assa Abloy Curries, Peachtree
Electrical conduit
Electrical outlet boxes
Electric motors for appliances, pumps, fans, etc. – Tempel, Tecumseh, Regal Beloit
Fans
Faucets
Fencing
File cabinets – CoilPlus, Hon Industries
Fire extinguishers
Fireplace inserts
Fireplace tools/screens
Flag poles
Furnaces
Garage door – Assa Abloy Curries, New Process, Kenwood Painted, CoilPlus
Garbage disposal
Garden tools
Golf clubs
Guns
Gutters
Hand tools, i.e. saws – JDM, Western Saw
Heat exchangers
Horse shoes
Jewelry
Lawn mowers and blades – Deere, Dalco, Siegal Steel, Fisher Barton, Whiltronics
Lighting fixtures
Lightning rods
Lockers – Mako Metals for Lyon
Mailboxes
Metal chairs
Metal tables/desks – Steelcase, Haworth
Microwave ovens
Ovens – Whirlpool (Maytag, Kitchen Aid, Jenn-Air)
Paint cans – BWay
Patio furniture
Picture frames
Pots and pans
Propane tanks – Worthington
Railings
Rebar for foundations
Refrigerators – Whirlpool (Amana, Maytag, Jenn-Air, Kitchen Aid)
Riding lawn mowers – John Deere
Roofing – Midwest Manufacturing/Menards, McElroy
Safes – Barsteel for Liberty
Screws/nuts/bolts/nails
Shelving and racks
Shower curtain rods
Sinks
Small kitchen appliances (blender, toaster, can opener, etc.)
Snow blowers
Snowmobiles – Metal-Matic for Polaris
Stairs
Stoves – Whirlpool (Maytag, Kitchen Aid, Jenn-Air)
Studs and trusses – Steel Construction Systems Co.
Televisions
Toaster ovens
Tools, tool boxes – Snap-on
Toys
Trash cans
Trash compactors
Vacuum cleaners
Washers – Whirlpool (Maytag, Jenn-Air, Kitchen Aid), CoilPlus, Alliance Laundry
Water heaters – Rheem, AOSmith
Water pipes
Water softener
Wheelbarrows
Window blinds
Wood burning stoves
55 gallon drums – Greif, Mauser, Berenfield

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