SSAB extends the summer maintenance outage

SSAB extends the summer maintenance outage

Under normal circumstances, SSAB implements maintenance outages at the Swedish
plants during the holiday period, when maintenance work and inspection of the
plants are carried out. This year, these maintenance outages will be extended
from a normal approx. two - four weeks to approx. nine weeks, primary within
production of slabs.

The decision to extend the normal maintenance outages this year is based on the
assessment SSAB made concerning market development. The guidance as issued in
connection with the report for the fourth quarter of 2008 (February 11, 2009)
have not changed. Capacity utilization and thereby production remain at very low
levels. 

Through a total stop in production during a number of summer weeks, the
inventory build-up, primarily in slab production, can be diminished and tied-up
capital can be reduced. The extended summer maintenance outage will reduce
SSAB's costs since a larger scale maintenance work can be carried out during the
daytime and the need for summer replacement staff will be significantly reduced
this year. 

The operations in the United States are continuing to produce at low levels and
to regularly adjust production to prevailing market conditions. As announced in
the report for the fourth quarter, the steel mill in Mobile implements a
maintenance outage from the second week of March to the second week of April. 

•	Production stoppage in the metallurgy in Oxelösund - weeks 27 - 34
•	Production stoppage in the rolling operations in Oxelösund - weeks 
30 - 33
•	Production stoppage in Luleå - weeks 26 - 33 
•	Production stoppage in Borlänge - weeks 28 - 31 

SSAB is regularly monitoring developments on the market and maintains full
flexibility to adjust the rate of production to any change in demand.


For further information, please contact: 
Helena Stålnert, Executive VP Communications, tel +46 8 45 45 734
Catarina Ihre, IR, tel +46 8 45 45 729	

SSAB is a world-leading producer of high-strength steels. SSAB offers products
developed in close cooperation with the customers in order to create a stronger,
lighter and more sustainable world. SSAB has 9,200 employees in over 45
countries and production plants in Sweden and the United States. SSAB is listed
on NASDAQ OMX Nordic, Stockholm.