Big River Steel's orders rebounded greatly and the firm is trying to keep pace with a revival in orders from US manufacturers. The steelmaker idled about a third of its domestic panel capacity this spring when customers canceled orders and closed plants to slow the spread of novel coronavirus.

Since many factories reopened a month or two later, steel demand for cars, appliances, and machinery has rebounded, partly because consumers at home are buying more.

Steel dealers said soaring prices and reduced steel supply had triggered buying by some manufacturers. Steelmakers have restarted much of the capacity they had idled in the spring, but orders are still higher than supply.