As early as 1856, Luxembourg industrialists and members of parliament founded the Saarbrücker Eisenhüttengesellschaft - Société en participation des Forges de Sarrebruck ("Saarbrücken Ironworks shareholding company").

[2] South Luxembourg's important economic development due to steel production led to the creation of several steel-producing companies.

[2] Two companies, Société Metallurgique des Terres Rouges and Société Minière des Terres Rouges, were specifically created by ARBED and other French and Belgian companies for the purpose of acquiring plants and mines west of the Rhine which had to be sold by Germany as a consequence of the Treaty of Versailles.

In order to develop its international reach, an ARBED offshoot called Companhia Siderúrgica Belgo-Mineira was established in Sabará, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 1921.

Luxembourg had been officially absorbed into Germany, and ARBED was temporarily renamed Hüttenwerke Burbach-Eich-Dudelingen (Burbach-Eich-Dudelange Metallurgical Plants).

During the three decades following the end of World War II, ARBED played a key role in the development of the Luxembourg economy.

In 1962, ARBED became a partner in the creation of the maritime SIDMAR complex in Belgium, and later obtained a majority stake in the new company.

[2] In 1978 ARBED became a 25% shareholder in Métallurgique et Minière de Rodange-Athus (MMRA),[6] mining and hot steel production were shut down and in 1994 MMRA merged with ARBED-Esch Schifflange (AES) to form Aciéries Rodange Esch-Schifflange (ARES) a subsidiary of ProfilARBED[7] From 1982 to 1983, the Luxembourg steel industry was restructured and the Luxembourg government invested heavily in ARBED, finally owning 42.9% of the company's shares.

In 1990, ARBED jointly acquired Yates, a U.S. company specialising in the production of copper foil, with Japanese group Furukawa Electric.

In 2002, ARBED and two other European steel-producing and manufacturing companies, Spanish strategic partner Aceralia and French Usinor, merged into Arcelor.