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Article: Iron and Steel Industry
- Article from:
- Dictionary of American History
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IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY
IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY.
Iron and steel, although closely related, are not the same thing. Iron begins as iron ore, which is melted in a blast furnace and blown through with air. Then it is manipulated so as to limit its content of carbon and other impurities. Steel is a particular kind of iron that is approximately one percent carbon, with the carbon content spread throughout the metal evenly. Steel is harder than iron and does not rust as easily. However, for most of history steel was harder to make than iron. That is why ironmaking was by far the bigger industry in America until the late nineteenth century.
The first iron works in America, called Hammersmith, ...