Production of reinforcing steel, wire rod and continuous cast blooms using the electric steelmaking process at the Kehl site
Badische Stahlwerke GmbH
Kehl · Graudenzer Straße 45, 77694 KehlNew on Amplifa
Steel from Kehl since 1955
Badische Stahlwerke GmbH (BSW) is a steel manufacturer in Kehl on the Rhine and the only steelworks in Baden-Württemberg. Using the electric steelmaking process, two electric arc furnaces melt up to 100 tonnes of steel scrap per charge at around 1,700 °C; the liquid iron is treated in ladle furnaces and cast into blooms on two continuous casting plants, which serve as feedstock for the bar and wire rod mill. The main products are rebars in bar form (diameter 10–40 mm) and in coils, as well as plain and ribbed wire rod (5.5–20 mm), from which the group manufactures reinforcement products such as rebar meshes. BSW supplies the construction industry and reinforced concrete construction throughout Europe; annual production is around 2.4 million tonnes of reinforcing steel. About four hours pass from scrap to steel. The plant is logistically connected via the Kehl Rhine port (inland shipping) and the port railway. Since April 2025, BSW has been part of the RSE Group (Reinforcing Steel Europe B.V., Almelo).
- Site
- Kehl
- Processes
- Steel production (electric steelmaking process, electric arc furnace), Continuous casting (continuous cast blooms), Bar steel rolling (rebar in bars), Wire rod rolling (plain or ribbed wire rod), Rebar in coils (coiling), Manufacture of reinforcement products (e.g. rebar meshes), Recycling: steel production from scrap using the electric steelmaking process, Own continuous casting plants (feedstock)
- Materials
- Steel, Reinforcing steel / rebar steel, Electric steelmaking process (electric arc furnace), Continuous casting, Rolling (bar and wire rod mill)
- Certificates
- Charge testing to European standards
- Founded
- 1955
- Employees
- 867
- Industries
- Construction industry, Reinforced concrete construction
- 01
Scrap processing and recycling
- 02
Melting in the electric arc furnace (electric steelmaking process)
- 03
Ladle furnace treatment
- 04
Continuous casting into blooms
- 05
Rolling into bar steel and wire rod
- 06
Coiling into coils
- 07
Further processing into reinforcement products (group)
- 08
Logistics incl. inland shipping
Materials and Processes
Electric steelmaking process (electric arc furnace)
Production of steel from recycled scrap without a blast furnace, up to 100 t of scrap per charge.
Continuous casting
On two continuous casting plants, blooms are produced as feedstock for the bar and wire rod mill.
Rolling (bar and wire rod mill)
Rolling of bar steel 10–40 mm and wire rod 5.5–20 mm, plain or ribbed.
Our Site
Kehl
DESteelworks with production (electric arc furnaces, continuous casting plants, rolling mills) and administration
- Part weight / size
- Charge up to 100 t of scrap
- Lot size
- High-volume series, approx. 2.4 Mio. t of reinforcing steel/year
- Materials
- Steel, reinforcing steel, wire rod, continuous cast blooms
- 2 electric arc furnaces
- 2 continuous casting plants
- Ladle furnace
- Bar and wire rod mill
- Turning cooling bed
Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steel production (electric steelmaking process, electric arc furnace)Casting | – | – | 100 tonnes of scrap/charge | – | Steel, Scrap (input material) |
| Continuous casting (continuous cast blooms)Casting | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Bar steel rolling (rebar in bars)Forming | – | – | – | – | Reinforcing steel, Rebar steel |
| Wire rod rolling (plain or ribbed wire rod)Forming | – | – | – | – | Reinforcing steel, Rebar steel |
| Rebar in coils (coiling)Forming | – | – | – | – | Reinforcing steel |
| Manufacture of reinforcement products (e.g. rebar meshes)Joining | – | – | – | – | Reinforcing steel, Rebar steel |
5 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric arc furnace | – | 2 | – | – | Kehl |
| Continuous casting plant | – | 2 | – | – | Kehl |
| Rolling mill (bar and wire rod mill) | – | – | – | – | Kehl |
| Ladle furnace | – | – | – | – | Kehl |
| Electric arc furnace (new, planned) | – | – | – | – | Kehl |
Additional services
Quality
Every charge is tested against the requirements of the European standards for reinforcing steel before leaving the plant; the company employs all quality assurance measures and pursues a comprehensive environmental protection program.
| Evidence | Kehl |
|---|---|
| Charge testing to European standards |
Company History
- 1955
Founding of Süddeutsche Drahtverarbeitungs-GmbH by Willy Korf at the Kehl Rhine port
- 1966
Commissioning of a rolling mill; blooms as feedstock initially purchased externally
- 1968
Commissioning of two electric arc furnaces, two continuous casting plants and another rolling mill; renaming to Badische Stahlwerke
- 2008
New gate, vehicle workshop and shift support facility opened at a cost of approx. 5 Mio. €
- 2009
New turning cooling bed for 5.5 Mio. €; approval of production increase from 2.2 to 2.8 Mio. t of steel; investments of up to 300 Mio. € planned
- 2019
Memorandum of understanding with Kehl and Strasbourg on waste heat recuperation (35 GWh pellet production, 45 GWh district heating)
- 2024
Cooperation agreement with Badische Stahl-Engineering and RWTH Aachen on hydrogen/ammonia use for ladle preheating (BMWK funding of 2.36 Mio. €)
- 2025
Merger of Van Merksteijn Steel Group and Südwest Beteiligungen; BSW becomes part of the RSE Group (Reinforcing Steel Europe B.V., Almelo)