July 12, 2006 — Nucor Corp. announced plans to construct an 850,000 ton/year special bar quality steel mill in the Southern United States.

Nucor’s new state-of-the-art facility will produce high-quality carbon and alloy rounds and round cornered squares from 3- to 9-inch for the automotive, heavy equipment and service center markets.

"This is a great opportunity to position Nucor as a market leader in Special Bar Quality products. We have consistently said over the last six years that we would not build a greenfield steel mill unless we could take advantage of a unique market niche and/or a significantly better cost structure compared to the competition. This project definitely fits that strategy," said Daniel R. DiMicco, Nucor's Chairman, President and CEO.

D. Michael Parrish, Executive Vice President, stated, "I'm very excited about this project because it complements our Nebraska SBQ Mill and gives us one of the most diverse SBQ product offerings from 7/32- to 9-inch rounds, all with a minimum of 5:1 reduction ratio. It really puts an emphasis on quality with bloom casting and vacuum degassing."

Nucor says it is currently considering several locations, and expects construction to begin after satisfactory resolution of site location, regulatory approvals, tax matters and various contracts.

Nucor and affiliates manufacture steel products, with operating facilities in seventeen states. Products include carbon and alloy steel bars, beams, sheet and plate; steel joists and joist girders; steel deck; cold finished steel; steel fasteners; metal building systems; and light gauge steel framing. Nucor is the nation's largest recycler.