Process diagram: Steel production

The diagram shows how steel is made from iron ore, in a process that consists of eight stages.

Overall, the process is linear. Iron ore is first mined and melted into iron, then the iron is purified and strengthened to make steel, and the steel is finally shaped into products. The first four stages produce iron, and the last four produce steel.

The process starts with the mining of iron ore, which is extracted from the ground. The ore is then mixed with coke and limestone. Next, the mixture is melted by hot air at a very high temperature in a blast furnace, and liquid iron is drawn off the base as molten iron.

The second half of the process turns the iron into steel. Oxygen is blown into the iron in a converter so that carbon is removed. Other metals are then added during alloying to improve the strength of the steel.

Finally, the liquid steel is poured into slabs in the casting stage, and the slabs are pressed into sheets or beams by rolling.