Pig iron

For other uses, see Pig iron (disambiguation).
Pig iron used to manufacture ductile iron

Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate good used by the iron industry in the production of steel. It is developed by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7 %,[1] along with silica and other dross, which makes it brittle and not useful directly as a material except for limited applications.[2]

  1. ^ Camp, James McIntyre; Francis, Charles Blaine (1920). The Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel (2nd ed.). Pittsburgh: Carnegie Steel Co. pp. 174. OCLC 2566055.
  2. ^ Samuel Thomas (September 1899). "Reminiscences of the early anthracite-iron industry". Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers (reprint by TheHopkinThomasProject.com). Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2016.