21.   The protest halted the unloading of coal and iron ore, forcing Cosipa to use a lower quality raw materials to produce steel, said company spokesman Gilson Bentes.

22.   The so-called minimills, operated by Nucor and other companies, produce new steel by melting shredded automobiles and other scrap in electric furnances.

23.   U.S. Steel will join with Nucor to develop a cheaper, more environmentally friendly method of producing steel.

24.   Vietnam at present has no mills producing flat steel, which is used in products such as cars, refrigerators and washing machines.

25.   Zinc is mainly used to produce galvanized steel.

26.   Both will produce rolled steel and steel rods using imported steel ingots, the paper said.

27.   Coke is then used in blast furnaces to convert iron ore into iron, which can be further refined to produce steel.

28.   He said much of the demand for imports has come from American mills that cannot produce enough steel.

29.   Hundreds of workers have already been laid off, and LTV has stopped buying the iron ore it needs to produce steel.

30.   The news came after LTV agreed continue producing steel until a hearing next week in bankruptcy court.