It began production at its $275 million Butler, Indiana, flat roll mill in 1996 and reported its first annual profit in 1997.

During the early 2000s recession, the company offered many incentive programs for employees to cut costs and improve standards and outperformed most other steel manufacturers.

[3] In 2007, the company acquired The Techs, three hot-dip galvanization plants in Pittsburgh that coat flat-rolled steel,[4] and OmniSource Corporation, a scrap metal processor and trader.

[11] In 2021, the company agreed to pay $475,000 in civil penalties and spend $3 million to upgrade air pollution control equipment to reduce air emissions at its facilities in Butler, Indiana.

Following on-site inspections, the United States Environmental Protection Agency accused Steel Dynamics of violating the Clean Air Act of 1963.