Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Cleveland Cliffs Inc (CLF) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Cleveland Cliffs Inc vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 19,195M vs 89,988M combined for tracked competitors (17.6% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+8.9% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs accelerating (+9.4%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Cleveland Cliffs Inc generated 5.9% revenue growth year over year in Q2 2026, vs 18.9% for its tracked competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its -2.6% net margin compares with 11.2% for the peer group.
- Scale: Cleveland Cliffs Inc ranks #28 of 155 companies by market capitalization in the Metal Mining industry, holding 0.5% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: Cleveland Cliffs Inc accounted for 17.5% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, down from 19.3% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.77M compares with $0.96M for the peer group (0.8x).
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
CLF Sales vs. its Competitors, Q2 2026
Cleveland Cliffs Inc reported revenue growth of 5.92 % year on year in Q2 2026, below its competitors' combined revenue growth of 18.90 %.
With a net margin of -2.56 %, Cleveland Cliffs Inc reported lower profitability than its competitors (11.18 %).
Cleveland Cliffs Inc generated 17.52 % of the combined sales of its peer group, down from 19.26 % a year earlier.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc vs. its Competitors, Q2 2026
Revenue growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in an SEC filing; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Cleveland Cliffs Inc and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland cliffs Inc | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (1) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (4) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Cleveland Cliffs Inc's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Metal Mining industry grew revenue 20.5% year over year, combined, vs 5.9% for Cleveland Cliffs Inc. Cleveland Cliffs Inc's share of combined industry revenue moved from 1.93% to 1.70%, a loss of 0.23 percentage points.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Competitor Quality Breadth
Share of each group, trailing 12 months: profitable (net margin > 0), expanding (revenue growth > 0), growing faster than the industry's own median, and financially distressed (Piotroski F-Score of 2 or below).
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland cliffs Inc | No | Yes | No | No |
| Competitors combined (20) | ||||
| Similar-Size Competitors (9) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 37.50 % (3 of 8) | 50.00 % (4 of 8) | 0.00 % (0 of 8) | 50.00 % (4 of 8) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
CLF Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
CLF Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
CLF Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nucor Corporation | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Steel Dynamics Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | United States Steel Corp | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Warrior Met Coal Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Reliance Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Cleveland Cliffs Inc's best-performing tracked competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Publicly Traded Peers of Cleveland cliffs Inc
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland cliffs Inc | 6,406.62 | 19,195.00 |
| Nucor Corporation | 55,865.97 | 36,101.00 |
| Wec Energy Group Inc | 33,366.91 | 10,137.40 |
| Steel Dynamics Inc | 33,312.32 | 20,538.68 |
| Reliance Inc | 20,349.38 | 14,835.60 |
| United States Steel Corp | 12,374.37 | 15,207.00 |
| SUBTOTAL | 191,306.04 | 139,225.76 |
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Sources: Cleveland cliffs Inc's official press releases and regulatory filings; CSIMarket.com's market research; and the financial filings and press releases of the other companies cited.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Cleveland cliffs Inc versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from SEC filings and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Precision Partners | Named by the company | 85% |
| Tubular Components | Named by the company | 85% |
Filing basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Cleveland Cliffs Inc's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: relationships are extracted from SEC filings (named-competitor disclosures) and corroborating sources. Named by the company = explicitly disclosed as a competitor; Inferred = derived from corroborating signals. Confidence reflects evidence strength.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Cleveland cliffs Inc | Steelmaking 97.51 % |
| Nucor Corporation | Steel mills 63.56 % |
| Wec Energy Group Inc | Wisconsin 78.63 % |
| Reliance Inc | Metals Service Centers Segment 100.00 % |
| United States Steel Corp | Flat Rolled Products 60.10 % |
| Commercial Metals Company | North America Steel Group 72.06 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
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Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland cliffs Inc | 6,407 | 767,800 | -33,520 |
| Nucor Corporation | 55,866 | 1,093,970 | 98,667 |
| Wec Energy Group Inc | 33,367 | 1,417,620 | 236,904 |
| Steel Dynamics Inc | 33,312 | 1,426,297 | 111,065 |
| Reliance Inc | 20,349 | 944,943 | 51,382 |
| United States Steel Corp | 12,374 | 633,625 | 4,042 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 184,899 | 957,702 | 77,805 |
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Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent filing. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| Steel Dynamics Inc | US 92.24 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 131 companies in Cleveland Cliffs Inc's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.Cleveland Cliffs Inc ranks #28 of 131 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 0.47 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 751, indicating a unconcentrated market structure (U.S. antitrust guidance: below 1,500 unconcentrated, 1,500 to 2,500 moderately concentrated, above 2,500 highly concentrated).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bhp Group Limited | 211,645 | 15.27 % |
| 2 | Southern Copper Corp | 166,346 | 12.00 % |
| 3 | Rio Tinto Plc | 152,559 | 11.01 % |
| 4 | Newmont Corporation | 124,220 | 8.96 % |
| 5 | Freeport mcmoran Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Agnico Eagle Mines Limited | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Wheaton Precious Metals Corp | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | Franco nevada Corporation | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | Anglogold Ashanti Plc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | Cameco Corporation | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 28 | Cleveland cliffs Inc | 6,552 | 0.47 % |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of Cleveland Cliffs Inc's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-09-28.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Buenaventura Mining Co Inc | 8,125 | 39.57 % |
| 24 | B2gold Corp | 7,790 | 8.46 % |
| 25 | Magellan Copper and Gold Corp | 7,381 | 17.50 % |
| 26 | Ssr Mining Inc | 7,185 | 44.69 % |
| 27 | Equinox Gold Corp | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 28 | Cleveland cliffs Inc | 6,552 | -4.93 % |
| 29 | Or Royalties Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 30 | Triple Flag Precious Metals Corp | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 31 | Nexgen Energy Ltd | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 32 | Centerra Gold Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 33 | Uranium Energy Corp | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of Cleveland Cliffs Inc's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-09-28. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Metal Mining industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (72 companies).| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | -1.09 % | 43.61 % (avg) | -44.7 pp |
| Operating Margin | -4.19 % | industry median | +18.7 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 1.06 % | 21.74 % (avg) | -20.7 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 3.16 % | 19.41 % (avg) | -16.2 pp |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Metal Mining industry average (72 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | - | 21.8x | - |
| EV / EBITDA | 68.9x | 13.3x | +55.6x |
| P/B | 1.1x | 3.5x | -2.5x |
| Return on Equity | -14.04 % | industry aggregate | -33.22 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | -3.44 % | 7.81 % (avg) | -11.25 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in SEC filings.| Metric | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 0.09 % | -14.68 % | 169.06 % | 281.85 % | 12.45 % | -4.32 % | -12.78 % | -3.00 % |
| Operating Margin | 28.86 % | 21.57 % | -2.65 % | 19.62 % | 8.43 % | 3.08 % | -3.94 % | -8.48 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 25.97 % | 12.95 % | -1.30 % | 20.90 % | 8.26 % | 2.89 % | -3.39 % | -6.57 % |
| P/E | 2.5x | 7.5x | - | 3.9x | 6.6x | 23.5x | - | - |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Strategic Group Map
Every company in Cleveland Cliffs Inc's industry and named-competitor list, plotted by trailing 12-month revenue growth and operating margin. Cleveland Cliffs Inc is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC (the Similar Growth & Profitability group above) are labeled.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
Relative market share (vs Cleveland Cliffs Inc's largest competitor by market cap) against industry revenue growth, using the standard textbook thresholds (1.0x share, 10% growth) a common framework, not a precision instrument.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc falls in the Question Mark quadrant: relative market share of 0.03x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue 33.6% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | High | Industry HHI of 751 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Barriers to Entry | Lower than typical for the industry | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 3.16 % vs industry average 19.41 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
| Supplier Power | Not covered on this page | See Cleveland Cliffs Inc's dedicated suppliers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Buyer Power | Not covered on this page | See Cleveland Cliffs Inc's dedicated customers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Threat of Substitutes | - | No systematic data source for cross-product substitution exists in this system; not estimated |
Note: this is a partial, data-grounded application of the framework, not a complete strategic assessment. Rivalry and barriers-to-entry readings are mechanical translations of the HHI and capital-intensity figures shown elsewhere on this page, not independent judgments.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
A CSIMarket composite, not a standard field: each axis is an equal-weighted average of three factors already shown elsewhere on this page (industry growth, industry profitability and rivalry for attractiveness; relative market share, profitability and growth vs industry for strength). Disclosed as a designed methodology, not a precision measurement.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc falls in the Medium attractiveness / Low strength cell: Harvest.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Operating margin 18.7 points above the industry median.
- Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+8.9% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
Weaknesses
- Return on equity 33.2 points below the industry aggregate.
- Underperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
- Low relative market share vs the industry leader (0.03x).
Opportunities
- Industry revenue growing at a healthy 33.6% median pace.
- A meaningful share of tracked competitors (31.60 %) show financial-distress signals, a possible opening to gain share.
Threats
No rule matched.
Methodology: mechanical, rule-based SWOT. Each bullet reuses a figure already sourced and cited elsewhere on this page; nothing here is generated narrative or independent analyst judgment.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland cliffs Inc | 0.02 | 1.97 | 1.29 |
| Nucor Corporation | 0.52 | 2.76 | 0.31 |
| Wec Energy Group Inc | 0.01 | 0.57 | 107.40 |
| Steel Dynamics Inc | 0.31 | 3.12 | 0.46 |
| Reliance Inc | 0.23 | 4.15 | 0.21 |
| United States Steel Corp | 0.42 | 1.60 | 0.37 |
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Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland cliffs Inc | Q2 2026 | +5.9 % | - |
| Nucor Corporation | Q2 2026 | +23.0 % | +81.3 % |
| Wec Energy Group Inc | Q2 2026 | +2.6 % | +23.9 % |
| Steel Dynamics Inc | Q2 2026 | +33.4 % | +76.2 % |
| Reliance Inc | Q1 2026 | +15.5 % | +32.5 % |
| United States Steel Corp | Q1 2025 | -10.4 % | - |
| PEERS TOTAL | +13.0 % | +65.8 % |
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Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland cliffs Inc | Q2 2026 | -1.0 % | +40.2 % |
| Nucor Corporation | Q2 2026 | +15.6 % | -40.1 % |
| Wec Energy Group Inc | Q2 2026 | -2.6 % | +52.2 % |
| Steel Dynamics Inc | Q2 2026 | +30.0 % | -57.0 % |
| Reliance Inc | Q1 2026 | +16.4 % | -26.1 % |
| United States Steel Corp | Q1 2025 | -4.7 % | -43.9 % |
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Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland cliffs Inc | - | - | - |
| Nucor Corporation | 9.14% | 9.96% | 14.49% |
| Wec Energy Group Inc | 3.29% | 5.16% | 847.58% |
| Steel Dynamics Inc | 9.66% | 10.53% | 17.76% |
| Reliance Inc | 7.64% | 8.27% | 11.18% |
| United States Steel Corp | 0.48% | 0.55% | 0.85% |
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ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Cleveland Cliffs Inc's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland cliffs Inc | - | 0.33 |
| Nucor Corporation | 19.51 | 1.55 |
| Wec Energy Group Inc | 19.62 | 3.29 |
| Steel Dynamics Inc | 20.94 | 1.62 |
| Reliance Inc | 25.57 | 1.37 |
| United States Steel Corp | 156.69 | 0.81 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 21.46 | 1.37 |
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P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.