8. Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

The change in the net carrying amount of goodwill for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 by segment was as follows (in millions):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steel

 

 

Steel

 

 

Raw

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mills

 

 

Products

 

 

Materials

 

 

Total

 

Balance, December 31, 2023

 

$

675

 

 

$

2,514

 

 

$

780

 

 

$

3,969

 

Acquisitions

 

 

 

 

 

318

 

 

 

17

 

 

 

335

 

Translation and other

 

 

 

 

 

(16

)

 

 

 

 

 

(16

)

Balance, December 31, 2024

 

 

675

 

 

 

2,816

 

 

 

797

 

 

 

4,288

 

Acquisitions

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Translation and other

 

 

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

 

 

 

8

 

Balance, December 31, 2025

 

$

675

 

 

$

2,825

 

 

$

797

 

 

$

4,297

 

 

The majority of goodwill is not tax deductible.

Intangible assets with estimated useful lives of five to 25 years are amortized on a straight-line or accelerated basis and consisted of the following (in millions):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2025

 

 

December 31, 2024

 

 

 

Gross

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

Gross

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

 

Amount

 

 

Amortization

 

 

Amount

 

 

Amortization

 

Customer relationships

 

$

4,444

 

 

$

1,737

 

 

$

4,444

 

 

$

1,512

 

Trademarks and trade names

 

 

374

 

 

 

207

 

 

 

387

 

 

 

192

 

Other

 

 

142

 

 

 

136

 

 

 

129

 

 

 

122

 

 

 

$

4,960

 

 

$

2,080

 

 

$

4,960

 

 

$

1,826

 

 

Intangible asset amortization expense was $254 million in 2025 ($262 million in 2024 and $238 million in 2023). Annual amortization expense is estimated to be $249 million in 2026, $246 million in 2027, $242 million in 2028, $209 million in 2029 and $189 million in 2030.

The Company completed its annual goodwill impairment testing as of the first day of the fourth quarter for each of 2025, 2024 and 2023 and concluded that as of each such date there was no impairment of goodwill for any of its reporting units.

There are no material historical accumulated impairment charges, by segment or in the aggregate, related to goodwill.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Feb 25, 2026Showing above
2024Feb 27, 2025
2023Feb 27, 2024

About Goodwill & Intangibles Disclosures

Goodwill and intangible asset disclosures reveal the premium paid in acquisitions and how management assesses whether that premium retains its value. Since goodwill is no longer amortized under US GAAP, the annual impairment test is the only mechanism that adjusts carrying values downward — making the assumptions behind that test critically important for investors.

Key signals: a history of goodwill impairments suggests management consistently overpays for acquisitions. Watch the gap between reporting unit fair value and carrying amount — when fair value exceeds carrying amount by less than 10-20%, a small decline in business performance could trigger a write-down. For finite-lived intangibles, examine useful life assumptions across customer relationships, technology, and trade names; aggressive estimates inflate near-term earnings. Compare total intangibles-to-total-assets ratios against peers to assess acquisition dependency. Rising goodwill as a percentage of equity can signal balance sheet fragility.