Nucor

RANK98

North Carolina–based steel manufacturer Nucor, whose extensive reuse of scrap metal makes it America’s biggest recycler, had an unprecedented 2021 as pent-up manufacturing activity from the first year of the pandemic increased demand for its products. The company, which maintains operations in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, moved up 51 spots on this year’s list, with revenue increasing 81% year over year to $36.5 billion. That gain was partly due to an increased sales price per ton of steel—up 64% from 2020. But Nucor also shipped more product to customers: 28 million tons of steel, an 11% increase from 2020.