For the quarter ending 30 September, the company reported net income of US$268.5 million on sales of US$5.2 billion. In the same quarter last year, the company reported profits of US$305.4 million on sales of US$4.3 billion. 

"Despite high utilization rates at our sheet mills, continued pressure from imports has prevented prices from keeping pace with increasing raw material costs. The profitability of our plate mills decreased significantly in the third quarter of 2017 as compared to the second quarter of 2017," the company said in a statement. 

Nucor shipped 6.2 million tons of steel in the quarter, up 19% from the same quarter last year.