Skip to content
pig iron

File:Pig_iron.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ901785· pop 40· linked from 740 articles

iron alloy with a high carbon content

Wikidata facts

Subclass of
alloy
Material used
cast iron
Image
Pig iron.jpg
Show 2 more facts
Commons category
Pig iron
fabrication method
blast furnace
Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

~5 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Pig iron used to manufacture ductile iron

Pig iron is an intermediate good used by the iron industry in the production of steel. It is developed by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with silica and other dross, which makes it brittle and not useful directly as a material except for limited applications.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “pig iron” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (2)