Iron and Steel Manufacture

     Iron and Steel Manufacture is a technology related to the production of iron and its alloys, particularly those containing a small percentage of carbon. The differences between the various types of iron and steel are sometimes confusing because of the nomenclature used.  Steel in general is an alloy of iron and carbon, often with an admixture of other elements. Some alloys that are commercially called iron contain more carbon than commercial steels. Open-hearth iron and wrought iron contain only a few hundredths of 1 percent of carbon. Steels of various types contain from 0.04 percent to 2.25 percent of carbon. Cast iron, malleable cast iron, and pig iron contain amounts of carbon varying from 2 to 4 percent. A special form of malleable iron, containing virtually no carbon, is known as white-heart malleable iron. A special group of iron alloys, known as ferroalloys, is used in the manufacture of iron and steel alloys; they contain from 20 to 80 percent of an alloying element, such as manganese, silicon, or chromium.