With the issuance of 5,000 shares at $100 each, Clifton W. Sherman, a New York steel man and entrepreneur, founded Dominion Steel Castings Co. in 1912.
Shortly after, the facility became Dominion Steel Foundry. On December 13, 1912, it poured its first heat of steel. The facility operated one open hearth furnace capable of producing 88 net tons of steel per day and had 100 people on the payroll. The facility’s first office was located in a tiny space in the Lister Block of downtown Hamilton. For many years, a little red brick office on Depew was the main office space. The facility first started producing steel for railways and added military materials in 1914. By 1918, it was operating 11 open hearth furnaces and two electric arc furnaces. It produced about 880 net tons of steel each day and spanned 26 acres. In 1930, the Dofasco name was first coined.