Scrap metal is melted and some ferroalloys are added to the molten steel in the electric arc furnace. Once the steel is melted, it is poured into a specially-designed ladle and moved to the ladle furnace station. It is here that the Fineline process begins.

Like the electric arc furnace, the ladle furnace has three graphite electrodes which, when lowered close to the steel’s surface, create an electric arc with extremely high temperatures. The intense heat is used to melt alloy additions, fuse slagmaking materials and maintain or increase the molten steel’s temperature as required for refining. The proper "ingredients" to make the particular grade of steel are added and calcium treatment, using calcium wire feeding, is performed.

The entire ladle of refined, calcium-treated molten steel is then placed inside a sealed vacuum chamber, the ladle degasser, where the steel is stirred by blowing inert argon gas through the bottom of the ladle. The violent churning of the steel releases undesirable gases which are removed by the vacuum. Since the molten steel is isolated from outside environmental influences, this method of gas removal produces a "cleaner" steel product than do systems where the ladle is exposed to the atmosphere. Final alloy chemistry adjustment, as well as further calcium treatment to complete the Fineline process, can also be made at the degassing station.

The steel is then either continuous cast or bottom poured into ingot molds where solidification into semifinished form occurs for subsequent rolling to final plate size.