Hybar Mill 2 — Osceola Rebar Micro Mill Expansion

Hybar started digging at sunrise on June 26, 2026. The Osceola, Arkansas rebar producer broke ground on a second micro mill next to its first, a $1.1 billion expansion that would roughly double what the company can put into the market. CEO Dave Stickler has committed to a 22- to 24-month build, which would put startup around mid-2028. The company self-performs: there’s no turnkey contractor on the job. SMS group of Germany supplies the electric arc furnace and rolling mill technology, the same package behind Mill 1.

Project Scope

Mill 2 lifts Hybar’s total rebar capacity to about 1.3 million short tons a year. Mill 1 is rated at 630,000 short tons and was running at 75% to 80% of nameplate when the second groundbreaking happened, with Stickler targeting 700,000 tons eventually. The site sits on the Mississippi River industrial corridor with barge, rail and truck access, the same logistics setup that made Osceola a steel town. Power is the differentiator: Hybar had reached 80% solar-plus-battery supply at groundbreaking and expected to be able to label its product as produced with 100% renewable energy within 30 to 60 days. The company is chasing LEED certification, which would make it the second LEED-certified steel producer in the country after Big River Steel, a few miles up the road. More than 350,000 tons of long-term annual contracted sales are already committed.

Why It Matters

Rebar is a regional commodity because freight eats the margin, so domestic capacity additions land hard in specific markets rather than nationally. Mill 1 turned cash-flow positive in month four and got built in 22 months, which is why the financing for a second mill came together this fast. Hybar also deliberately doesn’t fabricate, coat or precast, so it isn’t competing with the customers buying its billets of finished bar. That discipline is unusual in a sector where mills routinely creep downstream, and it’s a large part of why fabricators signed the offtake.

Project Team & Details