Mining steel · Arizona and the US Southwest
Steel Structures and Fabricated Steel for Arizona Mines
SQ Tech designs and fabricates steel for mining in its own plant in Hermosillo, Sonora, about 175 miles (280 km) south of the Nogales–Mariposa crossing. At Grupo México's Buenavista del Cobre copper mine in Cananea, Sonora, we built a copper concentrate warehouse and erected the heavy-equipment maintenance workshops. For mines in Arizona and the Southwest we fabricate the package and deliver it at the border or to the mine.
What we build
Steel for the mine, from the pile to the shop
Concentrate and ore storage
Long clear spans, so loaders work the pile without interior columns in the way: tubular arch trusses or rigid frames on concrete pedestals, with cladding that closes tight against dust.
Maintenance shops for heavy equipment
Tall clear-height frames for haul trucks and mining equipment. When the shop carries an overhead crane, its capacity, span and runway beam go into the design from the start.
Process plant steel
Platforms for heavy equipment, conveyor supports, transfer towers and hoppers for crushing, grinding and flotation, fabricated so the plant can grow in stages.
Plate work and components
CNC-cut plate, base plates, gussets and embeds, and fabricated components built for the abrasion and operating conditions of the mine, from its drawings or ours.
Structural design is done by our own engineers, or we fabricate from the drawings of the mine's engineer of record. Either way, you approve the shop drawings before any steel is cut.
Projects
Two jobs at a copper mine in operation
Grupo México's Buenavista del Cobre mine in Cananea, Sonora. Concentrate is handled inside the warehouse, so every interior column gets in the way: we spanned it with long-span tubular lattice arches on concrete pedestals. The workshop frames have more than 12 m (39 ft) of clear height for servicing mining equipment. The project pages are in Spanish.
Copper concentrate warehouse, Grupo México (Buenavista del Cobre)
Cananea, Sonora
Structural design, fabrication and erection of long-span tubular steel arches carrying a metal roof on purlins.
Project page (in Spanish)
Heavy-equipment maintenance workshops, Buenavista del Cobre
Cananea, Sonora
Erection of the steel structure and the metal roof and wall cladding of a workshop with tall clear-height frames for servicing mining equipment.
Project page (in Spanish)
Built for the mine
Coatings, dust and work inside an operating mine
Ore dust, moisture and process reagents attack steel. A common coating system for a mining environment is a white-metal blast (SSPC-SP 5), an inorganic zinc primer of 3 to 4 mils (75 to 100 µm), a high-build epoxy of 6 to 8 mils (150 to 200 µm) and an aliphatic polyurethane finish of 2 to 3 mils (50 to 75 µm). The mine's specification sets the final system and thicknesses; hot-dip galvanizing is available when it calls for it.
Building inside an active mine means controlled access, restricted hours, coordination with blasting and heavy equipment moving next to the work. That is why the steel is fabricated complete in Hermosillo and arrives marked and bundled in erection sequence: on site, only erection is left. On a US mine, your erector or the mine's contractor installs it under MSHA rules and the mine's safety program; we do not erect on US sites.
Codes and papers
What we design to and what ships with the steel
- Steel design
- ANSI/AISC 360-22, with the seismic provisions of ANSI/AISC 341-22 where your site requires them.
- Materials
- Structural shapes to ASTM / NMX with mill test reports; welding to AWS D1.1.
- You receive
- Structural calculations and drawings for your engineer of record to review and stamp, an anchor-bolt plan with foundation reactions for your foundation designer, and erection drawings.
- Not included
- A US professional engineer's stamp from SQ Tech, foundation design, the permit application and erection on US sites.
- Export papers
- Commercial invoice, packing list, mill test reports (MTRs) for the structural steel, USMCA certification of origin, where the product qualifies.
Fabricated steel imported from Mexico falls under the US Section 232 steel tariffs, and the rate depends on the HTS classification and on where the steel was melted. For pickup at the plant or delivery at the border, your customs broker confirms the duty for your HTS classification before you order; with DDP, duty is part of our delivered price.
Getting steel to Arizona
175 miles from our plant to the border
Our plant is about 175 miles (280 km) south of the Nogales–Mariposa crossing into Nogales, Arizona. From the border, I-19 runs north to Tucson and I-10 continues to Phoenix and east toward New Mexico. Every package is quoted three ways:
| Term | Handover | Freight | US customs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickup at our plant (FCA Hermosillo) | Loaded on your truck at our plant in Hermosillo, Sonora. | You book it, with your own carrier. | Your customs broker, at the crossing you choose. |
| Delivered at the Nogales border | At the Nogales crossing; the handover point is named on your quote. | We book the Hermosillo–Nogales leg; your carrier takes it from there. | Your customs broker. |
| Delivered duty paid to your site (DDP) | At your job site. | We book it door to door. | We do; duty is part of the delivered price. |
Hermosillo keeps Arizona time (MST, UTC−7, no daylight saving). More on routes, terms and paperwork: steel delivery to Arizona and the Southwest.
Questions
Mining steel questions
Can a steel fabricator in Mexico supply a US mine?
Yes. We fabricate in our plant in Hermosillo, Sonora, from the mine's or your engineer's approved drawings, or we detail the package and send the shop drawings for approval before any steel is cut. The steel is handed over at our plant (FCA), at the Nogales–Mariposa border crossing or delivered duty paid (DDP) to the mine. How delivery works.
What mining work has SQ Tech done?
At Grupo México's Buenavista del Cobre copper mine in Cananea, Sonora, we designed, fabricated and erected a copper concentrate warehouse on long-span tubular steel arches, and erected the steel structure and cladding of the heavy-equipment maintenance workshops. The figures for both jobs are on this page.
Do you erect on mine sites in the US?
No. In Mexico we design, fabricate and erect. For a US mine we supply the fabricated steel, marked and bundled in erection sequence, and your erector or the mine's contractor installs it under MSHA rules and the mine's own safety program.
What coating systems do you apply for mining environments?
The one the mine specifies. A common system for ore dust, moisture and process reagents is a white-metal blast (SSPC-SP 5), an inorganic zinc primer of 3 to 4 mils (75 to 100 µm), a high-build epoxy of 6 to 8 mils (150 to 200 µm) and an aliphatic polyurethane finish of 2 to 3 mils (50 to 75 µm). Hot-dip galvanizing is also available when the specification calls for it.
Are there US tariffs on fabricated steel from Mexico?
Yes. Fabricated steel imported from Mexico falls under the US Section 232 steel tariffs, and the rate depends on the HTS classification and on where the steel was melted. For pickup at the plant or delivery at the border, your customs broker confirms the duty for your HTS classification before you order; with DDP, duty is part of our delivered price.
How does the steel reach a mine in Arizona?
Our plant is about 175 miles (280 km) south of the Nogales–Mariposa crossing into Nogales, Arizona. From the border, I-19 runs north to Tucson and I-10 continues to Phoenix and east toward New Mexico. Large packages ship in stages, timed to your erection sequence.
Request for quote
Send your mining steel package
Attach the drawings or describe the scope: the structure, approximate tonnage or footprint, the coating specification, the mine and delivery point, and the target dates. We reply within 24 business hours.
Related services
- Contract steel fabricationFrames, joists, plate work and miscellaneous steel from your approved shop drawings, for US contractors.
- Delivery to the US SouthwestPickup at our plant, delivery at the Nogales border or DDP to your site, and the papers that travel with the steel.
- Turnkey in SonoraDesign, foundations, fabrication and erection for operations on the Mexican side of the border.