Visitor Information

For Your Visit

We welcome you to visit the Columbus Division. Below you’ll find maps, hotels and tips for your visit. If you have additional questions, don’t hesitate to ask your SDI sales representative.

Getting here

Directions and property map for the Columbus Division Steelmaking Complex in Columbus, Mississippi.

Where to stay

Columbus area hotel list for visiting the Columbus Division in Columbus, Mississippi here.

Inside the facility

As always, safety must be our number-one priority. To provide a safe, informative tour, we ask that you read the following general rules and guidelines in advance of your visit. There will be many exciting operations and procedures going on around you as you walk through the mill. These guidelines will keep you safe and comfortable during your tour.

Tour format

A tour guide will accompany you through the facility. For your safety, stay with your tour guide at all times. A comprehensive look at the Columbus facility takes approximately two hours.

Medical and physical restrictions

Inform your tour guide in advance of the tour if any of these are a concern.

• Be prepared for a LONG WALK. The tour may last two hours or more and requires walking on mainly concrete surfaces in an industrial environment.
• High-heat areas may be present throughout the tour route. If you are sensitive to heat, you may need to skip these areas.
• Tours through the Columbus melt/cast area require climbing and descending three flights of stairs and an elevated walkway. Persons with physical or medical restrictions are advised to skip this area and begin their tour at the base of the caster.
• Anyone with a pacemaker MUST NOT enter the areas around the ladle metallurgy furnaces (LMF) in the southeast corner of the Columbus melt/cast building, the areas around battery 1 and battery 2 of the melt deck behind each of the furnace shells or the area around the submerged-arc furnace (SAF) in the Iron Dynamics building.

What to wear

• Appropriate attire includes long pants or jeans, a long-sleeved shirt and socks. A short-sleeved shirt may be worn under the provided flame-retardant jacket.
• Comfortable footwear of sturdy construction (preferably leather) is critical. Sandals, open-toed shoes, high heels, etc., are not acceptable footwear.
• Contact lenses are strongly discouraged. Visitors who must wear contact lenses will be provided sealed safety glasses to be worn throughout their tour.
• Loose jewelry, such as necklaces and dangling earrings, is prohibited.
• Safety equipment (hard hat, safety glasses with side shields, flame-retardant jackets and hearing protection) will be provided at the start of the tour and MUST be worn in the mill at all times.

General safety rules and guidelines

• Always stay alert. When driving on campus, watch for large vehicles or debris and obey all traffic signs. When walking in the facility, watch your footing and use handrails when on stairs and elevated walkways. Stay within the designated walkways and away from restricted areas.
• Do not touch any equipment or product. There are many moving parts, sharp edges and hot materials.
• Before the tour, your guide will go over a more detailed list of guidelines. You will also be asked to watch a brief safety video. Inform your guide in advance of the tour if you have any safety questions or concerns.