AK Steel Applauds Findings and Recommendations by Commerce to President Trump for Action on the Section 232 Trade Investigation

WEST CHESTER, Ohio, Feb. 16, 2018 -- AK Steel (NYSE:AKS) said today that it applauds U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross for his recommendations to President Trump that broad based relief be implemented to address the surge of steel imports that he determined threaten to impair the national security of the United States.

“We are pleased with the recommendations by Secretary Ross that tough and effective actions be taken in a holistic manner to mitigate the flood of steel imports into the U.S.,” said Roger K. Newport, Chief Executive Officer of AK Steel.  “We commend Secretary Ross and his team at the Commerce Department for this work, and all that he and others have been doing on important trade issues with President Trump and his Administration.  We urge prompt action on these recommendations.”

“We agree that the ongoing high level of imports is a threat to the national security of our country,” said Roger Newport.  “This is particularly true for electrical steels, which are used to manufacture power generation, transmission and distribution transformers that serve as the backbone of our nation’s electric power grid.  It is vital that action be extended downstream to electrical steel intensive products necessary for our electrical grid, including laminations, cores, core assemblies and transformers in order to prevent circumvention of the Section 232 remedy.”

AK Steel
AK Steel is a leading producer of flat-rolled carbon, stainless and electrical steel products, primarily for the automotive, infrastructure and manufacturing, electrical power generation and distribution markets.  Through its subsidiaries, the company also provides customer solutions with carbon and stainless steel tubing products, die design and tooling, and hot- and cold-stamped components.  Headquartered in West Chester, Ohio (Greater Cincinnati), the company has approximately 9,200 employees at manufacturing operations across seven states (Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia), as well as in Canada and Mexico.  Additional information about AK Steel is available at www.aksteel.com.

Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements made or incorporated by reference in this release reflect management’s estimates and beliefs and are intended to be “forward-looking statements” identified in the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates” and other similar references to future periods typically identify forward-looking statements.

The company cautions readers that forward-looking statements reflect the company’s current beliefs and judgments, but are not guarantees of future performance or outcomes.  They are based on a number of assumptions and estimates that are inherently affected by economic, competitive, regulatory, and operational risks, uncertainties and contingencies that are beyond the company’s control, and upon assumptions about future business decisions and conditions that may change.

Forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve risks and uncertainties, resulting in the possibility that actual events or performance will differ materially from such predictions as a result of certain risk factors.  Such factors that could cause the company’s actual results and financial condition to differ materially from the results contemplated by such forward-looking statements include reduced selling prices, shipments and profits associated with a highly competitive and cyclical industry; domestic and global steel overcapacity; U.S. government actions on NAFTA and/or other trade agreements, treaties or policies; changes in the cost of raw materials, supplies and energy; the company’s significant amount of debt and other obligations; severe financial hardship or bankruptcy of one or more of the company’s major customers or key suppliers; the company’s significant proportion of sales to the automotive market; reduced demand in key product markets due to competition from aluminum or other alternatives to steel; excess inventory of raw materials; supply chain disruptions or poor quality of raw materials or supplies; production disruption or reduced production levels; the company’s healthcare and pension obligations; not reaching new labor agreements on a timely basis; major litigation, arbitrations, environmental issues and other contingencies; regulatory compliance and changes; climate change and greenhouse gas emissions; conditions in the financial, credit, capital and banking markets; the company’s use of derivative contracts to hedge commodity pricing volatility; potential permanent idling of facilities; inability to fully realize benefits of margin enhancement initiatives; information technology security threats, cybercrime and exposure of private information; failure to achieve the expected benefits of the Precision Partners acquisition and/or to integrate Precision Partners successfully; changes in tax laws and regulations; as well as those risks and uncertainties discussed in more detail in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, as updated in subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission.  As such, the company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only to the company’s plans, assumptions and expectations as of the date hereof.  The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, except as required by law.

Contacts:
Media - Lisa H. Jester, Corporate Manager, Communications and Public Relations (513) 425-2510
Investors - Douglas O. Mitterholzer, General Manager, Investor Relations (513) 425-5215