What do all of these things have in common?
They’re all made from steel!
steel
Steel is strong and long-lasting, and is one of the most widely used materials on the planet.
But here’s a curious question: How is steel made?
How is steel made?
The main ingredient in steel is the metal iron, which is found in a type of rock called iron ore.
iron ore
Iron ore is mined from the ground, using diggers and explosives.
Before being transported to a steel factory.
Here the iron ore is put into a blast furnace, which is basically a really, really hot oven.
A small amount of the substance carbon is then added.
This mixture of iron ore and carbon melts together to form steel!
A mixture that contains one or more metals is called an alloy.
alloy
So steel is an alloy of iron and carbon.
The steel is then rolled and shaped into thin sheets.
Ready to be used for lots of different things!
So to recap: iron ore is mined from the ground.
The iron ore is then melted together with carbon to make the alloy steel.
The steel is then rolled into thin sheets, ready to be used.
Got it? Great – another curious question answered!