David J. Joseph Company

What David J. Joseph Company does

The David J. Joseph Company (DJJ), founded in 1885 and headquartered at 300 Pike Street in Cincinnati, Ohio, is one of the largest U.S. scrap metal companies and operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nucor Corporation (NYSE: NUE). The company is organized around four business segments: global scrap metal brokerage (ferrous, ferro-alloy, non-ferrous, international trading, and freight management), recycling operations, railcar transportation services, and industrial scrap management. Its recycling network comprises 70 facilities operated through six regional sub-brands—Advanced Metals Recycling, Metal Recycling Services, River Metals Recycling, Texas Port Recycling, Trademark Metals Recycling, and Western Metal Recycling—supplemented by 17 automobile shredders and capacity to process over 5 million tons of ferrous and nonferrous scrap annually. The railcar transportation segment maintains nearly 2,200 open top gondola cars and provides sales, leasing, maintenance, engineering, inspection, and dismantling services, while the industrial scrap segment delivers customized programs with mill direct shipments that bypass intermediaries.

DJJ's revenue mechanics are transaction-fee and spread-based across commodity brokerage, physical recycling sales, railcar services, and industrial scrap programs. Distribution is direct-sales-led, executed through 11 U.S. brokerage offices, 1 Hong Kong office, the regional recycling sub-brands, and an integrated sales motion that funnels scrap into Nucor's 24 steel mills via mill direct shipments. The ScrapConnect digital platform adds 24/7 transaction transparency, real-time shipment and payment data, and consolidated reporting across multiple facilities. Customer segments span industrial manufacturers (automotive OEMs, HVAC and appliance makers, tube and pipe, steel service centers, metal fabricators, machine shops, tool and die manufacturers), scrap metal traders, auto recyclers, and railcar operators, with vertical integration into Nucor providing a captive demand backbone. Nucor has deployed approximately $9.73 billion in capital expenditures and acquisitions over three years to expand product portfolio and reinforce vertical integration through DJJ.

Operationally, DJJ combines commodity trading expertise, capital-intensive physical processing infrastructure, owned rail logistics, and parent-company demand to form a vertically integrated scrap-to-steel supply chain. The company does not separately disclose revenue or financial details, and there is no public evidence of standalone AI/ML capability development; its competitive posture rests on scale, logistics ownership, broker relationships built over 140 years, and structural integration with Nucor rather than on software differentiation.

Name

David J. Joseph Company

Legal name

The David J. Joseph Company

Website

https://djj.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1885

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The David J. Joseph Company (DJJ) is a Cincinnati-based scrap metal firm, founded in 1885 and wholly-owned by Nucor Corporation, operating global brokerage, 70 recycling facilities processing 5M+ tons annually, a nearly 2,200-car railcar fleet, and industrial scrap management serving manufacturers and traders worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scrap Metal Recycling and Brokerage

NAICS

Metal Service Centers and Other Metal Merchant Wholesalers (423510), Material Handling Equipment Manufacturing (33392)

SIC

Wholesale-Machinery, Equipment & Supplies (5080), Wholesale-Construction & Mining (No Petro) Machinery & Equip (5082), Trucking (No Local) (4213), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)

akta.pro primary industry

Scrap Collection, Brokerage & Trading (Dealers, Aggregators, Exporters) (EUAIAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Scrap Management & On-site Services (Plant Scrap, Roll-off, Managed Programs) (EUAIAJAI), Scrap Metal Recycling & Brokerage (IMAIAFAN)

Keywords

• Scrap metal recycling
• Ferrous metals brokerage
• Non-ferrous metals trading
• Industrial scrap management
• Railcar transportation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Scrap Metal Brokerage: Global brokerage services for ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, ferro-alloys, international trading, and freight management. The experienced brokerage team monitors markets in real-time and builds reliable supply chains.
2. Metal Recycling Services: Operates 70 recycling facilities across 6 regional companies capable of sorting and recycling over 5 million tons of ferrous and nonferrous scrap annually. Services include automobile shredding and processing.
3. Railcar Transportation Services: Private railcar fleet operations including sales and leasing, maintaining third-party fleets, railcar inspection, engineering, dismantling, and reclamation of railcar parts. Fleet includes nearly 2,200 open top gondola cars.
4. Industrial Scrap Management: Customized scrap management programs offering mill direct shipments to maximize customer revenue. Includes equipment, hauling, disposal, and closed-loop recycling solutions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

David J. Joseph Company (DJJ) is a U.S. scrap metal recycling and trading company operating through four core business lines: scrap metal brokerage (ferrous, ferro-alloy, non-ferrous, international trading, and freight management), recycling operations across 70 facilities, railcar transportation services with a private fleet of nearly 2,200 gondola cars, and customized industrial scrap management programs with mill direct shipments.

Product overview

The David J. Joseph Company (DJJ) is a world leader in scrap metal recycling and trading, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nucor Corporation since 2002. The company offers an integrated suite of services organized into four core business segments: (1) Brokerage services covering ferrous metals, ferro-alloys, non-ferrous metals, freight management, and international trading through a global team of brokers; (2) Recycling operations through six regional sub-brands (Advanced Metals Recycling, Metal Recycling Services, River Metals Recycling, Texas Port Recycling, Trademark Metals Recycling, and Western Metal Recycling) managing 70 facilities with capacity to process over 5 million tons annually; (3) Industrial Scrap Management providing customized programs and mill direct shipments; and (4) Railcar Transportation Services including a private fleet of nearly 2,200 gondola cars, plus sales, leasing, parts, engineering, and inspection services. DJJ also offers ScrapConnect, a digital customer portal for transaction management and real-time reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ferrous Brokerage Global brokerage expertise in ferrous metals, including real-time market monitoring and supply chain management for scrap metal sellers and buyers.
• Ferro-Alloy Brokerage Specialized brokerage services for ferro-alloy commodities in the scrap metal market.
• Non-Ferrous Metals Brokerage Brokerage services for non-ferrous metals including aluminum and other specialty metals.
• International Trading Global brokerage team managing international scrap metal trading operations.
• Freight Management Transportation and logistics management services for scrap metal shipments.
• Metal Recycling Services Regional recycling company operating 3 facilities in North Carolina, part of DJJ's network of 70 recycling facilities.
• River Metals Recycling Regional recycling company operating 19 facilities in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia.
• Texas Port Recycling Regional recycling company operating 4 facilities in Texas.
• Trademark Metals Recycling Regional recycling company operating 27 facilities in Florida.
• Western Metal Recycling Regional recycling company operating 7 facilities in Colorado, Nevada and Utah.
• Advanced Metals Recycling Regional recycling company operating 10 facilities in Kansas and Missouri.
• Private Railcar Fleet Nearly 2,200 open top gondola cars for shipping scrap metal and industrial materials.
• Railcar Sales and Leasing Leasing and sales options for various railcar types in customizable packages.
• Railcar Engineering & Inspection Railcar inspection, analysis, and innovative modification services including AAR inspections.
• Railcar Parts & Dismantling Used railcar components and full railcar dismantling services.
• Industrial Scrap Management Customized scrap management programs with mill direct shipments to maximize customer revenue.

Quantifiable outcome

• Processes over 5 million tons of ferrous and nonferrous scrap annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Nucor CorporationcoreOthersNucor Corporation is the parent company of The David J. Joseph Company. DJJ operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nucor, enhancing Nucor's vertical integration in the steel industry. Nucor is North America's largest recycler and major steel manufacturer with 24 steel mills. Nucor invested approximately $9.73 billion in capital expenditures and acquisitions over three years to expand product portfolio and enhance vertical integration through DJJ.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Radius Recycling (formerly Schnitzer Steel Industries): One of the largest U.S. scrap metal recyclers operating shredders, scrap yards, and export brokerage with a rail-served network. Directly comparable in business mix (ferrous/non-ferrous recycling, mill services, export trading) to DJJ.
• Sims Metal Management: Global scrap metal recycler and trader with operations in North America, Australia, and the U.K. Closest comparable to DJJ in international brokerage/trading scale and auto-shredding capabilities.
• SA Recycling: Privately held U.S. non-ferrous and ferrous scrap recycler with a large network of yards in the Sun Belt. Competes head-to-head with DJJ's regional sub-brands (especially Trademark and Texas Port) for industrial scrap supply.
• EMR Group (European Metal Recycling): Global metal recycler and processor with integrated shredding, brokerage, and export operations. Comparable in integrated brokerage-plus-recycling model and global trading footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Commercial Metals Company (CMC): Vertically integrated steel manufacturer with its own scrap recycling operations (CMC Recycling). Comparable to DJJ's industrial scrap and recycling role, but as part of a much broader steel and construction products portfolio.
• Steel Dynamics: Major U.S. EAF steel producer that is both a large buyer of ferrous scrap and operates OmniSource, a scrap recycling and brokerage arm. Comparable as a vertically integrated scrap-to-steel competitor to DJJ/Nucor.
• Nucor Corporation: Parent company of DJJ and North America's largest EAF steel producer. Closely tied to DJJ through captive mill demand, vertical integration, and shared capex strategy—essential context for benchmarking DJJ's economics.
• Gerdau Ameristeel: Long products steelmaker with significant scrap-consuming operations in the Americas. Competes with Nucor for scrap supply and operates its own scrap procurement footprint, making it an indirect but material peer.
• ArcelorMittal: Global steel and mining giant with growing EAF/scrap-fed capacity and global scrap trading arms. Comparable as a large, diversified scrap-consuming and trading counterparty to DJJ's international brokerage business.

Regional players

• Liberty Iron & Metal: Privately held Midwest U.S. scrap metal processor and broker. Smaller-scale regional competitor overlapping DJJ's River Metals Recycling and Midwest industrial scrap footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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• Instagraminstagram.com/davidjjosephcompany

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about David J. Joseph Company