EXHIBIT 4.2 Unless this Note is presented by an authorized representative of The Depository Trust Company, a New York corporation ("DTC"), to the Company (as defined below) or its agent for registration of transfer, exchange, or payment, and any Note issued is registered in the name of Cede & Co. or in such other name as is requested by an authorized representative of DTC (and any payment is made to Cede & Co. or to such other entity as is requested by an authorized representative of DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE, OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL inasmuch as the registered owner hereof, Cede & Co., has an interest herein. REGISTERED PRINCIPAL AMOUNT No.: 1 $150,000,000 CUSIP No.: 783755 AA9 RYERSON TULL, INC. 8 1/2% NOTE DUE JULY 15, 2001 RYERSON TULL, INC., a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (hereinafter called the "Company," which term shall include any successor Person under the Indenture hereinafter referred to), for value received, hereby promises to pay to CEDE & CO., or registered assigns, upon presentation, the principal sum of ONE HUNDRED FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS on July 15, 2001 and to pay interest on the outstanding principal amount thereon from July 3, 1996, or from the most recent Interest Payment Date to which interest has been paid or duly provided for, semi-annually in arrears on January 15 and July 15 in each year, commencing on January 15, 1997, at the rate of 8 1/2% per annum, until the entire principal hereof is paid or made available for payment. The interest so payable and punctually paid or duly provided for on any Interest Payment Date will, as provided in the Indenture, be paid to the Person in whose name this Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest which shall be January 1 or July 1 (whether or not a Business Day), as the case may be, next preceding such Interest Payment Date. Any such interest not so punctually paid or duly provided for shall forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder on such Regular Record Date and may either be paid to the Person in whose name this Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest to be fixed by the Trustee, notice whereof shall be given to Holders of Securities of this series not more than 15 days and not less than 10 days prior to such Special Record Date, or may be paid at any time in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which the Securities of this series may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange, all as more fully provided in the Indenture. Payment of the principal of, and premium, if any, on, and interest on this Security will be made at the office or agency of the Company maintained for that purpose in the Borough of Manhattan, City of New York, or elsewhere as provided in the Indenture, in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts; provided, however, that, unless this Security is in registered global form, at the option of the Company payment of interest on any Interest Payment Date may be made by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address shall appear in the Security Register on the Regular Record Date. Each Security of this series is one of a duly authorized issue of securities of the Company (herein called the "Securities"), issued and to be issued in one or more series under an Indenture, dated as of July 1, 1996 (herein called the "Indenture"), between the Company and The Bank of New York (herein called the "Trustee," which term includes any successor trustee under the Indenture with respect to the series of which this Security is a part), to which Indenture and all indentures supplemental thereto reference is hereby made for a statement of the respective rights, limitations of rights, duties and immunities thereunder of the Company, the Trustee and the Holders of the Securities and of the terms upon which the Securities are, and are to be, authenticated and delivered. This Security is one of the series designated on the first page hereof, and such series is limited in aggregate principal amount to $150,000,000. Securities of this series will be subject to redemption, in whole or in part, at any time or from time to time, at the option of the Company on at least 30 days' prior notice by mail at a Redemption Price equal to the greater of (i) 100% of the principal amount of the Securities to be redeemed or (ii) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest thereon discounted to the Redemption Date on a semiannual basis (assuming a 360- day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the Treasury Rate (as defined herein) plus 50 basis points, plus accrued but unpaid interest to the Redemption Date, but interest installments whose Stated Maturity is on or prior to such Redemption Date will be payable to the Holders of such Securities, or one or more Predecessor Securities, of record at the close of business on the relevant Record Dates referred to on the first page hereof, all as provided in the Indenture. On and after the Redemption Date, interest will cease to accrue on the Securities or portions of Securities called for redemption on such date. Securities of this series may be redeemed in part but only in integral multiples of $1,000. "Treasury Rate" means, with respect to any Redemption Date, the rate per annum equal to the semiannual equivalent yield to -2- maturity of the Comparable Treasury Issue, assuming a price for such Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for such redemption date. "Comparable Treasury Issue" means the United States Treasury security selected by an Independent Investment Banker as having a maturity comparable to the remaining term of this series of Securities that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the remaining term of the Securities. "Independent Investment Banker" means one of the Reference Treasury Dealers appointed by the Trustee after consultation with the Company. "Comparable Treasury Price" means, with respect to any Redemption Date, (i) the average of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount) on the third Business Day preceding such Redemption Date, as set forth in the daily statistical release (or any successor release) published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and designated "Composite 3:30 p.m. Quotations for U.S. Government Securities" or (ii) if such release (or any successor release) is not published or does not contain such prices on such Business Day, (A) the average of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for such Redemption Date, after excluding the highest and lowest such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, or (B) if the Trustee obtains fewer than three such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all such Quotations. "Reference Treasury Dealer" means Goldman, Sachs & Co. and CS First Boston Corporation, and their respective successors; provided, however, that if any of the foregoing shall cease to be a primary U.S. Government securities dealer in New York City (a "Primary Treasury Dealer") the Company shall substitute therefor another Primary Treasury Dealer. "Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations" means, with respect to each Reference Treasury Dealer and any Redemption Date, the average, as determined by the Trustee, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount) quoted in writing to the Trustee by such Reference Treasury Dealer at 5:00 p.m. on the third Business Day preceding such Redemption Date. Any notice to the Holders of such a redemption need not set forth the Redemption Price but need only set forth the calculation thereof as described in the third paragraph of this Security. The Redemption Price, calculated as aforesaid, shall be set forth in an Officers' Certificate delivered to the Trustee no later than two Business Days prior to the Redemption Date. -3- In the event of redemption of this Security in part only, a new Security or Securities of this series and of like tenor for the unredeemed portion thereof will be issued in the name of the Holder hereof upon cancellation hereof. No sinking fund shall be established for the benefit of the Securities. The Indenture contains provisions for defeasance at any time of (a) the entire indebtedness of the Company on this Security and (b) certain restrictive covenants and the related defaults and Events of Default applicable to the Company, in each case, upon compliance by the Company with certain conditions set forth in the Indenture, which provisions apply to this Security. If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of this series shall occur and be continuing, the principal of, and the premium, if any, and accrued interest on, the Securities of this series may be declared due and payable in the manner and with the effect provided in the Indenture. As provided in and subject to the provisions of the Indenture, the Holder of this Security shall not have the right to institute any proceeding with respect to the Indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee or for any other remedy thereunder, unless such Holder shall have previously given the Trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Securities of this series, the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Securities of this series at the time Outstanding shall have made written request to the Trustee to institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default, as Trustee, and offered the Trustee reasonable indemnity and the Trustee shall not have received from the Holders of a majority in principal amount of Securities of this series at the time Outstanding a direction inconsistent with such request, and the Trustee shall have failed to institute any such proceeding for 60 days after receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity. The foregoing shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Holder of this Security for the enforcement of any payment of principal hereof or any interest hereon on or after any respective due dates expressed herein. The Indenture permits, with certain exceptions as therein provided, the amendment thereof and the modification of the rights and obligations of the Company and the rights of the Holders of the Securities of each series to be affected under the Indenture at any time by the Company and the Trustee with the consent of the Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of each series of Securities then Outstanding affected thereby. The Indenture also contains provisions permitting the Holders of specified percentages in principal amount of the Securities of each series at the time -4- Outstanding, on behalf of the Holders of all Securities of such series, to waive compliance by the Company with certain provisions of the Indenture and certain past defaults under the Indenture and their consequences. Any such consent or waiver by the Holder of this Security shall be conclusive and binding upon such Holder and upon all future Holders of this Security and of any Security issued upon the registration of transfer hereof or in exchange herefor or in lieu hereof, whether or not notation of such consent or waiver is made upon this Security. No reference herein to the Indenture and no provision of this Security or of the Indenture shall alter or impair the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay the principal of, premium, if any, on, and interest on this Security at the times, place and rate, and in the coin or currency, herein prescribed. As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein set forth, the transfer of this Security is registrable in the Security Register, upon surrender of this Security for registration of transfer at the office or agency of the Company in any Place of Payment where the principal of, premium, if any, on, and interest on this Security are payable duly endorsed by, or accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Security Registrar duly executed by, the Holder hereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing, and thereupon one or more new Securities of this series and of like tenor, of authorized denominations and for the same aggregate principal amount, will be issued to the designated transferee or transferees. The Securities of this series are issuable only in registered form without coupons in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein set forth, Securities of this series are exchangeable for a like aggregate principal amount of Securities of this series and of like tenor of a different authorized denomination, as requested by the Holder surrendering the same. No service charge shall be made for any such registration of transfer or exchange, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection therewith. Prior to due presentment of this Security for registration of transfer, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the Person in whose name this Security is registered as the owner hereof for all purposes, whether or not this Security be overdue, and none of the Company, the Trustee or any such agent shall be affected by notice to the contrary. -5- No recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement contained in the Indenture or in this Security, or because of any indebtedness evidenced thereby, shall be had against any promoter, as such, or against any past, present or future stockholder, officer or trustee, as such, of the Company or of any successor, either directly or through the Company or any successor, under any rule of law, statute or constitutional provision or by the enforcement of any assessment or by any legal or equitable proceeding or otherwise, all such liability being expressly waived and released by the acceptance of this Security by the Holder thereof and as part of the consideration for the issue of the Securities of this series. All terms used in this Security which are defined in the Indenture shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture. THE INDENTURE AND THIS SERIES OF SECURITIES, INCLUDING THIS SECURITY, SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO THE CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS THEREOF. Pursuant to a recommendation promulgated by the Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures, the Company has caused "CUSIP" numbers to be printed on the Securities of this series as a convenience to the Holders of such Securities. No representation is made as to the correctness or accuracy of such CUSIP numbers as printed on the Securities, and reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed hereon. -6- Unless the certificate of authentication hereon has been executed by or on behalf of the Trustee by manual signature, this Security shall not be entitled to any benefit under the Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this instrument to be duly executed by the undersigned officer. RYERSON TULL, INC. By:/s/ Robert J. Darnall ------------------------ Robert J. Darnall Chairman [SEAL] By /s/ Vicki L. Avril ------------------------ Vicki L. Avril Treasurer Attest By: /s/ Charles B. Salowitz -------------------------- Charles B. Salowitz Secretary Dated: July 3, 1996 TRUSTEE'S CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION: This is one of the Securities of the series designated therein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture. THE BANK OF NEW YORK, as Trustee By: /s/ Helen M. Cotiaux ------------------------ Authorized Signatory -7- ASSIGNMENT FORM FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned hereby sells, assigns and transfers unto PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR OTHER IDENTIFYING NUMBER OF ASSIGNEE ============================================ ============================================ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Please Print or Typewrite Name and Address including Zip Code of Assignee) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . the within Security of Ryerson Tull, Inc. and hereby does irrevocably constitute and appoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Attorney to transfer said Security on the books of the within named Company with full power of substitution in the premises. Dated: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NOTICE: The signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as it appears on the first page of the within Security in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatever. Signature Guarantee: ----------------------------- -8-