What is steel made of?

Steel is made of iron and carbon. The carbon is alloyed with iron to make it stronger. To create steel, manufacturers must smelt out iron in ore, take out impurities and add alloys.

In the first step, the iron ore is smelted with coke. Coke is a by-product of the distillation of coal. This step happens in a blast furnace to melt the iron. Then, impurities and excess carbon are taken out, and alloys are added. These alloys include chromium, nickel or other metals that help make the type of steel needed. After it is alloyed, the steel is turned into rolls, ingots or slabs.