The year 1810 witnessed the establishment of the Brandywine Iron Works & Nail Factory, which operated a rolling mill.  Brandywine Iron Works became a success due to its proprietors, its production of the highly demanded boiler plate, and its quality product.

The success of Brandywine Iron Works, the completion of the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad, and the rapid growth of transportation led others to build additional rolling mills around Coatesville – Rokeby, Laurel, Brandywine, West Brandywine, Hibernia, Caln, Triadelphia, and Thorndale works.  

In 1890, Coatesville had five active iron companies with their own rolling mills: Viaduct (4), Brandywine Rolling Mill (1), Lukens Iron & Steel Company (2), Valley Iron Works (4), and Thorndale (1).  Today, Coatesville has two rolling mills in operation at the ArcelorMittal Coatesville site.