Plant History

1880 - McMasters & Company of Shelbyville, Missouri begins manufacturing barbed steel staples for the packaging market

1884 - Acme Flexible Clasp Company begins producing a similar steel staple in Chicago.

1899 - McMasters & Company and Acme Flexible Clasp merge, consolidating their operations in Chicago under the Acme name.

1903 - 'B' Furnace is constructed in 1903.  It has a 19'-8" hearth diameter with a working volume of 29,306 cubic feet.  It is serviced by 10 tuyeres and can sustain a wind rate of 50,000 cubic feet per minute. 

1908 - The original "A" Furnace is constructed.  It is designed similarly as "B" Furnace with a 15'-7" hearth. 

1925 - The company becomes Acme Steel Company, reflecting the growing importance of its flat-rolled strip steel products.

1953 - 'A' Furnace is demolished and reconstructed.  It is commissioned on September 1, 1953. 

1957 - Acme begins construction of new iron-making, steel-making and rolling mill facilities at the Riverdale Plant.

1964 - Acme merges with Interlake Iron Company, combining Interlake's extensive mining, iron, and coke production facilities with Acme's steel producing and finished product capabilities. The new company becomes the Interlake Steel Corporation, the nation's 11th largest steel producer.

1979 -  Number 2A stove is replaced with a modern 110' high 24' diameter stove with 194,212 square feet of heating surface area.

1986 - Following a reorganization of Interlake, Acme once again became a public company. The newly formed Acme Steel Company consisted of Interlake's former iron, steel, and domestic steel strapping operations.

1990 - 'A' Furnace is relined and 'B' Furnace is considered the oldest operating furnace in the United States.

1992 - Shareholders approve creation of Acme Metals Incorporated, a holding company overseeing the operations of Acme's operating subsidiaries.

1997  - Acme becomes an advanced, high-tech, thick slab casting and rolling steel producer with the successful startup and operation of the $400 million MiniGrated Steel mill.  

Today - Acme's steel fabricating businesses hold solid positions in their respective markets. Acme Packaging Corporation holds approximately 40 percent of the U.S. steel strapping market. Alpha Tube Corporation manufactures mechanical steel tubing and holds approximately 10 percent of the markets in which it competes. These businesses provide a captive market for up to 30 percent of Acme Steel's tonnage, reducing the cyclical impact of steel demand on the company's overall financial performance.