he Gerdau Group develops partnerships with universities and research institutes to encourage the use of steel by-products. Materials left over from the production process increasingly become raw material for other economic sectors.

The slag from the electric furnaces, for example, results from the melting of scrap with pig iron and from steel refining. Slag is used primarily to pave highways and for railroad ballast. Since 2005, these applications have been part of the studies conducted by the Brazilian Association of Technical Norms (ABNT) to create a norm for slag use that will make it a more viable option and thereby further reduce the need for natural resources such as gravel and dirt. Blast furnace slag is the raw material used in cement production as a substitute for clinker. 

Other important by-products are mill dust and scale, both used by cement companies as a substitute for iron ore. Mill dust is generated by melting scrap with pig iron and slag, which results from steel solidification and oxidation. Mill dust is also used to manufacture Zamak alloy, the raw material used to produce belt and shoe buckles, as well as ceramic blocks.

The carbochemical products resulting from the transformation of mineral charcoal into coke are also widely used due to the diversity of their applications. They serve as raw materials for the aluminum, plastics, solvents, paint, dies and synthetic fiber industries, and can also be used as fuel.

The Gerdau Group also reuses some of its own by-products during the sintering process, such as coal fines, iron ore fines and mill scale.