Steel Processing Overview

Steel production involves several processing stages including iron making, primary and secondary steelmaking, casting and hot rolling. These are followed by some of the following fabrication processes: cold rolling, forming, forging, joining, machining, coating and/or heat treatment.

Steels can be made either from raw materials (e.g. iron ore, coal and limestone) or by recycling steel scrap.

In response to the requirements of society, steel processing is subject to significant innovation in order to reduce costs, improve quality and to minimise its environmental impacts.

These complex processes produce a wide variety of steel compositions, in many different shapes and sizes, each tailored closely to the requirements of the use of the steel.

To learn more about steel processing, tour a virtual steelworks, and learn about basic oxygen steelmaking, electric arc furnaces, secondary steelmaking, continuous casting, hot rolling and much more, visit www.steeluniversity.org.