Description of the Business and Significant Accounting Policies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2023

Description of the Business and Significant Accounting Policies

Description of the Business and Significant Accounting Policies

Note 1. Description of the Business and Significant Accounting Policies

Description of the Business

Steel Dynamics, Inc. (SDI), together with its subsidiaries (the company), is one of the largest and most diversified domestic steel producers and metals recycler, combined with a meaningful steel fabrication manufacturing platform. The company has three reporting segments: steel operations, metals recycling operations, and steel fabrication operations.

Steel Operations Segment. Steel operations include the company’s electric arc furnace (EAF) steel mills, including Butler Flat Roll Division, Columbus Flat Roll Division, Southwest-Sinton Flat Roll Division (Sinton), Structural and Rail Division, Engineered Bar Products Division, Roanoke Bar Division, Steel of West Virginia, steel coating and processing operations at The Techs, Heartland Flat Roll Division, United Steel Supply (USS) – 87.5% equity interest as of April 1, 2022, Vulcan Threaded Products, Inc., and SDI Biocarbon Solutions, LLC, a joint venture to construct and operate a biocarbon production facility. Steel operations accounted for 63% and 68% of the company’s consolidated net sales during the three-month periods ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Metals Recycling Operations Segment. Metals recycling operations include the company’s OmniSource ferrous and nonferrous processing, transportation, marketing, brokerage, and scrap management services primarily throughout the United States and in Central and Northern Mexico. Metals recycling operations accounted for 12% and 10% of the company’s consolidated net sales during the three-month periods ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Steel Fabrication Operations Segment. Steel fabrication operations include the company’s New Millennium Building Systems’ joist and deck plants located throughout the United States, and in Northern Mexico. Revenues from these plants are generated from the fabrication of trusses, girders, steel joists and steel deck used within the non-residential construction industry. Steel fabrication operations accounted for 18% and 17% of the company’s consolidated net sales during the three-month periods ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Other. Other operations consist of subsidiary operations that are below the company’s quantitative thresholds required for reportable segments and primarily consist of joint ventures, including the company’s newly announced aluminum flat roll mill and idled Minnesota ironmaking operations. Also included in “Other” are certain unallocated corporate accounts, such as the company’s senior unsecured credit facility, senior notes, certain other investments and certain profit sharing expenses.

Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of SDI, together with its wholly- and majority-owned or controlled subsidiaries, after elimination of intercompany accounts and transactions. Noncontrolling and redeemable noncontrolling interests represent the noncontrolling owners’ proportionate share in the equity, income, or losses of the company’s majority-owned or controlled consolidated subsidiaries. Redeemable noncontrolling interests related to USS (owned 87.5% by SDI at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022) are $75.0 million at March 31, 2023 and $70.3 million at December 31, 2022. Redeemable noncontrolling interests related to Mesabi Nugget (owned 85% by SDI) are $111.2 million at March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022.

At March 31, 2023, SDI owned 87.5% of the equity interest in USS. Originally, after the fourth anniversary of the initial transaction (March 1, 2023), SDI has an option to purchase, and the noncontrolling members had the option to require the company to purchase, the remaining 12.5% equity interest of USS. On April 1, 2023, a noncontrolling member of USS exercised its option to require SDI to purchase its 2.5% equity interest, increasing SDI’s ownership to 90%. The remaining noncontrolling members’ option to require SDI to purchase the remaining 10% equity interest of USS has been extended to on or after February 28, 2025.

Note 1. Description of the Business and Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

Use of Estimates

These consolidated financial statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, and accordingly, include amounts that require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and in the notes thereto. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include the carrying value of property, plant and equipment, intangible assets, and goodwill; valuation allowances for trade receivables, inventories and deferred income tax assets; unrecognized tax benefits; potential environmental liabilities; and litigation claims and settlements. Actual results may differ from these estimates and assumptions.

In the opinion of management, these financial statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the interim period results. These consolidated financial statements and notes should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Cash and Equivalents, and Restricted Cash

Cash and equivalents include all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less at the date of acquisition. Restricted cash is primarily funds held in escrow as required by various insurance and government organizations. The balance of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash in the consolidated statements of cash flows includes restricted cash of $5.5 million for all periods presented, which are recorded in Other Assets (noncurrent) in the company’s consolidated balance sheets.

Goodwill

The company’s goodwill consisted of the following at March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022 (in thousands):

	March 31,		December 31,
	2023		2022
Steel Operations Segment	$	272,133	$	272,133
Metals Recycling Operations Segment		228,009		228,009
Steel Fabrication Operations Segment		1,925		1,925
	$	502,067	$	502,067

Credit Losses

The company is exposed to credit risk in the event of nonpayment of accounts receivable by customers. The company mitigates its exposure to credit risk, which it generally extends on an unsecured basis, by performing ongoing credit evaluations and taking further action if necessary, such as requiring letters of credit or other security interests to support the customer receivable. The allowance for credit losses for accounts receivable is based on the company’s reasonable estimate of known credit risks and historical experience, adjusted for current and anticipated economic and other pertinent factors affecting the company’s customers, that may differ from historical experience. Customer accounts receivable are written off when all collection efforts have been exhausted and the amounts are deemed uncollectible.

At March 31, 2023, the company reported $2,127 million of accounts receivable, net of allowances for credit losses of $6.4 million. Changes in the allowance were not material for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.