At IronSite, we use quite a bit of steel in our buildings and construction work. We want to provide the most cost-efficient, versatile building options to our customers, and steel is the obvious choice. We use it so much we figured you should have a basic understanding of how it is made and know some interesting facts as well!
Steel is, simply put, iron alloyed with usually less than 1% carbon. Steel is just iron that has had its impurities removed. Impurities weaken steel, so those impurities are removed to give steel more strength than traditional iron.
Steel can be made in a multitude of ways, one of the more popular ways is featured in the infographic below. In a blast furnace, pig iron, limestone, and iron ore go into an open furnace. This furnace heats the materials up to 1,600 degrees. The limestone and iron ore then form a slag that floats on top of the surface. The impurities residing in the pig iron are oxidized and then float out of the iron and into the slag. Carbon also leaves the Iron but you need some of it to stay. When the process is done right and the carbon levels are correct, carbon steel is made.
Steel is such an amazing building tool, here are some fun facts that you may have not known about steel! Click on the website below to see other fun steel infographics as well!
