TMST TimkenSteel Corporation

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 6, 2020

Registration No. 333-            

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Under

The Securities Act of 1933

1835 Dueber Avenue SW, Canton, Ohio 44706

(Address of Principal Executive Offices Including Zip Code)

TimkenSteel Corporation 2020 Equity and Incentive Compensation Plan

(Full Title of the Plan)

Frank A. DiPiero

Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

1835 Dueber Avenue SW

Canton, Ohio 44706

(330) 471-7000

(Name, Address and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent For Service)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☐

to indemnify any person with respect to any action, suit or proceeding that was initiated by that person unless the action, suit or proceeding was initiated to enforce any rights to indemnification under the Registrant’s regulations and the person is formally adjudged to be entitled to indemnity. The indemnification obligation provided in the Registrant’s regulations is not exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification may be entitled under any law, the articles of incorporation or any agreement, vote of shareholders or of disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in official capacities and as to action in another capacity while he or she is the Registrant’s director or officer and shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, trustee or officer and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of that person.

The Registrant’s regulations also permit it to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any persons that the Registrant is required to indemnify under the regulations against any liability asserted against and incurred by that person, in their status or capacity as a party the Registrant must indemnify, whether or not the Registrant would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability. The Registrant may also, to the fullest extent permitted by law, enter into an indemnification agreement with any persons that the Registrant is required to indemnify under the regulations.

The Registrant has entered into contracts with some of its directors and officers to indemnify them against many of the types of claims that may be made against them. The Registrant also maintains insurance coverage for the benefit of directors and officers with respect to many types of claims that may be made against them, some of which may be in addition to those described in the regulations.

Section 1701.13 of the Ohio Revised Code, or Section 1701.13, generally permits indemnification of any director, officer or employee with respect to any proceeding against any such person provided that: (a) such person acted in good faith; (b) such person reasonably believed that the conduct was in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation; and (c) in the case of criminal proceedings, such person had no reasonable cause to believe that the conduct was unlawful. Indemnification may be made against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and settlements actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the proceeding; provided, however, that if the proceeding is one by or in the right of the corporation, indemnification may be made only against actual and reasonable expenses (including attorneys’ fees) and may not be made with respect to any proceeding in which the director, officer or employee has been adjudged to be liable to the corporation, except to the extent that the court in which the proceeding was brought shall determine, upon application, that such person is, in view of all the circumstances, entitled to indemnity for such expenses as the court shall deem proper. To the extent that a director, officer or employee is successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of the proceeding, indemnification is required. The termination of any proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent does not, of itself, create a presumption that the director, officer or employee did not meet the standard of conduct required for indemnification to be permitted.

Section 1701.13 further provides that indemnification thereunder may not be made by the corporation unless authorized after a determination has been made that such indemnification is proper, with that determination to be made (a) by the Board of Directors by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors not parties to the proceedings, (b) if such a quorum is not obtainable, or, even if obtainable, but a quorum of disinterested directors so directs, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, (c) by the shareholders, or (d) by the court in which the proceeding was brought. However, a director (but not an officer, employee or agent) is entitled to mandatory advancement of expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred in defending any action, including derivative actions, brought against the director, provided that the director agrees to cooperate with the corporation concerning the matter and to repay the amount advanced if it is proved by clear and convincing evidence that such director’s act or failure to act was done with deliberate intent to cause injury to the corporation or with reckless disregard for the corporation’s best interests.

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Finally, Section 1701.13 provides that indemnification or advancement of expense provided by that Section is not exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification may be entitled under the articles of incorporation or regulations or any agreement, vote of shareholders or disinterested directors or otherwise.

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective Registration Statement;

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(b) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

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