SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 8‑K CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

DATE OF REPORT - December 16, 2013 (Date of Earliest Event Reported)

AK STEEL HOLDING CORPORATION (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Commission File No. 1-13696

Delaware 31-1401455 (State of Incorporation) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

9227 Centre Pointe Drive West Chester, OH 45069 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (513) 425-5000

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below): q Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) q Solicitation material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) q Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) q Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

On December 16, 2013, John F. Kaloski, Executive Vice President and Operating Officer, gave notice of his retirement from AK Steel Holding Corporation (the “Company”), effective January 31, 2014. The Company issued a press release with respect to Mr. Kaloski’s retirement, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated by reference herein. As further set forth in the press release, Mr. Kaloski’s various duties will be re-assigned among Mr. Keith J. Howell, Vice President, Operations, Mr. Kirk W. Reich, Vice President, Procurement and Supply Chain Management, and Mr. Maurice A. (“Mo”) Reed, Vice President, Engineering, Raw Materials and Energy.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibit:

99.1 Press Release issued on December 19, 2013

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

AK STEEL HOLDING CORPORATION

By: /s/ David C. Horn David C. Horn Secretary

Dated: December 19, 2013 EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No. Description

99.1 Press Release issued on December 19, 2013

EXHIBIT 99.1 News Release Contacts: Media - Michael P. Wallner, General Manager, Communications and PR (513) 425-2688 Investors - Roger K. Newport, Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer (513) 425- 5270

AK Steel Announces Executive Retirement

WEST CHESTER, OH, December 19, 2013 - AK Steel (NYSE: AKS) said today that John F. Kaloski, Executive Vice President and Operating Officer of AK Steel, has elected to retire from the company, effective January 31, 2014. For more than a decade, John has served AK Steel as a member of the company’s executive leadership team. “John’s exceptional leadership has been a critical element in the company’s dramatic turnaround in previous years, as well as its ongoing efforts to become more vertically integrated,” said James L. Wainscott, Chairman, President and CEO of AK Steel. “On behalf of AK Steel’s Board of Directors, our Executive Officers and all of us at the company, we thank John for his dedicated service to AK Steel and wish him all the best during his retirement.” Mr. Kaloski has served the steel industry for more than 40 years, having joined AK Steel in October 2002. He is responsible for the company’s steel operations, engineering, raw materials and energy, manufacturing planning and information technology, quality assurance, outside processing and purchasing, and occupational safety and health. Additionally, he is responsible for AK Steel’s interests in iron ore and metallurgical coal operations. Prior to his AK Steel career, Mr. Kaloski held several senior management positions for the former National Steel Corporation and United States Steel Corporation. In addition to his responsibilities at AK Steel, Mr. Kaloski serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. Mr. Kaloski holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from the University of and an MBA from Robert Morris College. He is a veteran of the United States Army and served in Vietnam.

Following his retirement, Mr. Kaloski’s responsibilities will be assumed as follows:

▪ Kirk W. Reich, Vice President, Procurement and Supply Chain Management. Mr. Reich will maintain his existing responsibilities, including merchant slab procurement, and will assume responsibility for manufacturing planning, information technology, and the company’s metallurgical coal operations, AK Coal Resources, Inc.

▪ Keith J. Howell, Vice President, Operations. In addition to his existing responsibilities for operations, Mr. Howell will assume responsibility for occupational safety and health, and quality assurance.

▪ Maurice A. (“Mo”) Reed, Vice President, Engineering, Raw Materials and Energy. Mr. Reed will continue his current responsibilities, and will assume primary responsibility for the company’s interest in Magnetation LLC. -more- Mr. Reich, Mr. Howell and Mr. Reed will each report directly to Jim Wainscott effective February 1, 2014.

AK Steel AK Steel produces flat-rolled carbon, stainless and electrical steels, primarily for automotive, infrastructure and manufacturing, construction and electrical power generation and distribution markets. The company employs about 6,100 men and women in Middletown, Mansfield, Coshocton and Zanesville, ; Butler, ; Ashland, Kentucky; Rockport, Indiana; and its corporate headquarters in West Chester, Ohio. Additional information about AK Steel is available on the company’s web site at www.aksteel.com. AK Tube LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AK Steel, employs about 300 men and women in plants in Walbridge, Ohio and Columbus, Indiana. AK Tube produces carbon and stainless electric resistance welded (ERW) tubular steel products for truck, automotive and other markets. Additional information about AK Tube LLC is available on its web site at www.aktube.com. AK Coal Resources, Inc., another wholly-owned subsidiary of AK Steel, produces metallurgical coal from reserves in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. AK Steel also owns 49.9% of Magnetation LLC, a joint venture headquartered in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, which produces iron ore concentrate from previously mined ore reserves.

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