Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor steel plant — United States
Steel Plant in United States. Approximate location 41.63317, -87.13101.
Steel PlantUnited StatesCO₂ estimate (modelled)
Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor steel plant is a steel plant in United States. Its listed capacity is 5,001,000 t of steel. Steel plants burn coal in blast furnaces or use electric arcs to melt scrap; in both cases the molten metal must be kept above 1,500°C and transferred through extensive hot piping and vessels. It is operated by Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. By capacity it ranks #3 among 49 steel plants in United States. It emits about 5,655,090 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 1.00% of the CO₂e from the 1,910 facilities in United States that have an emissions figure in IndustryAtlas. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 22% above the national median for this sector.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-1567104.
Data status
Known source data
Calculated from the dataset
Not available
Source data, measured cross-checks and calculated values are kept separate. No confidence percentage is invented.
Similar facilities by modelled emissions
- Tianjin Iron and Steel Group Co Ltd · 5,664,101 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Shougang Changzhi Iron and Steel Co Ltd · 5,697,107 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Yunnan Yuxi Iron and Steel Group Yukun Iron and Steel Co Ltd · 5,739,159 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Baowu Group Echeng Iron and Steel Co Ltd · 5,780,858 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Ningxia Jianlong Special Steel Co Ltd · 5,504,638 t CO₂e/yr · China
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
Operating power plants within 50 km
- ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor · Gas · 176 MW · 1 km
- Bailly Generating Station · Coal · 604 MW · 1 km
- Bailly · Gas · 38 MW · 1 km
- Bailly nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 641 MW · 2 km
- Portside Energy · Gas · 61 MW · 3 km
PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
In context: how this facility compares
At 5,001,000 t of steel, Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor steel plant is well above the median steel plant in United States (907,000 t of steel). Subsector: iron-and-steel. As steel plant, it requires high process heat (typically 800–1500°C) for its core industrial operations, supplied by boilers, furnaces or direct combustion. Steel plants burn coal in blast furnaces or use electric arcs to melt scrap; in both cases the molten metal must be kept above 1,500°C and transferred through extensive hot piping and vessels.
Capacity & CO₂-intensity comparison computed from Climate TRACE industrial facilities data; sector role based on engineering reference.
What 5,655,090 t CO₂e a year looks like
This facility's estimated annual CO₂e (Climate TRACE, modelled) in everyday equivalents from the US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies calculator:
Equivalencies: US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies. Emissions: Climate TRACE.
Carbon cost and Scope 1 emissions
At its reported 5.7M t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor steel plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 5.7M t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €426M/yr of exposure on EU-bound exports. CBAM share rises from 2.5% (2026) to 100% by 2034. No domestic carbon price — but cement, steel, aluminium, fertilizer and hydrogen exported to the EU face CBAM at €75/t (rising to 100% by 2034).
Measured CO₂: 7.6M t/yr — verified GHGRP (reporting year 2023) (35% above the modelled estimate). Modelled estimate 5.7M t/yr (Climate TRACE), high-confidence match, cross-checked via the measured-vs-modelled dataset (n=711).
Carbon price: EU CBAM €75/t · EU ETS €85/t, September 10, 2026, refreshed live via Carbon Hub. CO₂: measured (GHGRP RY2023), cross-checked vs Climate TRACE. Indicative carbon value, not the cash bill — free allocation applies; not compliance advice.
Capacity vs largest steel plants in United States
Listed capacity (t of steel), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).
Operator
Operated by Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. All facilities by this operator →
Local climate
Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor steel plant sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate zone (Köppen Dfa), at 41.6°N in the northern hemisphere.
Köppen zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.
In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1403 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.08× the loss at a 20 °C reference. Reference-surface calculation at a 150 °C surface from WorldClim climate normals (ASTM C680 / ISO 12241) — an indicative per-climate comparison, not a measurement of this site’s specific equipment. Open method dataset: DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20787408 (CC BY 4.0).
Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.
How it compares & nearby sites
The #3 largest of 49 steel plants in United States by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).
Nearby industrial sites
- NLMK Indiana steel plant · Steel Plant · 141,032 t CO₂
- US Steel - Midwest Plant · Metals Plant · 124,454 t CO₂
- Ruwaldt Packing Co. · Food & Beverage
- Overgrown Orchard, Llc · Food & Beverage
- Williams, West & Witt'S Products Co. · Food & Beverage
- U.S. Steel Gary Works · Steel Plant · 10,875,917 t CO₂
Location
Coordinates 41.63317, -87.13101. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor steel plant?
Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor steel plant is a steel plant in United States. Steel plants burn coal in blast furnaces or use electric arcs to melt scrap; in both cases the molten metal must be kept above 1,500°C and transferred through extensive hot piping and vessels.
What capacity is listed for Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor steel plant?
The open dataset lists 5,001,000 t of steel of capacity for Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor steel plant.
How much CO₂ does Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor steel plant emit?
The page uses about 5,655,090 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #10 among facilities in United States by estimated CO₂.
Where is Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor steel plant located?
Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor steel plant is in United States at approximately 41.63317, -87.13101.
Who operates Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor steel plant?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.