timeline






13th century BC
Invention of steel – iron and charcoal come together
Early blacksmiths discovered that iron became harder and stronger when left in charcoal furnaces.

3rd century BC
Wootz steel: Born in ancient India
As early as the third century BC, the craftsmen of southern India used crucibles to smelt wrought iron with charcoal to produce ‘wootz’ steel – a material that is still admired today.
Detail of India from Ptolemy’s world map
Detail of India from Ptolemy’s world map

Roman Era
With war comes progress
Imperial armies, including those of China, Greece, Persia and Rome, were eager for strong, durable weapons and armour. The Romans learned how to temper work-hardened steel to reduce its brittleness.
Roman Armour - statue of Germnanicus in the Lateranmuseum in Rome
Roman Armour – statue of Germnanicus in the Lateranmuseum in Rome

3rd century AD
China steels the show
Chinese craftsmen manufactured high-quality steel, likely having something similar to the Bessemer process (which was only developed in Europe in the 19th century) as early as the second century BC.
Chinese puddle and blast furnace
Chinese puddle and blast furnace

4th century
The Iron Pillar of Delhi: Oldest surviving example of corrosion-resistant steel

The iron pillar of Delhi
Video The iron pillar of Delhi

11th century
Magic metallurgy
The process of the location of iron production on the raw-material base began to be realised in the 10th-13th centuries.

Brevarium Grimani
Brevarium Grimani

11th century
Damascus steel developed in Middle East
Damascus steel was a term used in Western culture from the Medieval period onward to describe a type of steel created in India and used in swordmaking from around 300 BC to 1700 AD.
Mughal-Original Damascus swords
Video Mughal-Original Damascus swords

12th century
Land of the crucible
In the 12th century, the land of Serendib (Sri Lanka) seems to have been the world’s main supplier of crucible steel, prior to its further development as late as 1740 by English inventor Benjamin Huntsman.
Spilbergen meeting king Vimaladharmasoorya of Kandy
Spilbergen meeting king Vimaladharmasoorya of Kandy

16th century
On his metal
In 1540, Vannoccio Biringuccio publishes first systematic, detailed volume on metallurgy.

18th century
Sweden leads production
Steel was now recognised and well established as a valuable material. During this time, expensive steel was produced in limited quantities by artisans, and expensive was also used in applications other than armour and weaponry. Sweden led the way during the 18th century – new techniques began to emerge, which improved quality and consistency.
VIDEO

1709
Coke on the go
Coke is first used to smelt iron ore – wood and charcoal, which were becoming harder to obtain, are gradually replaced.

Iron bridge
Iron bridge

1712
Steam on the move
English ironmonger Thomas Newcomen builds first commercially successful steam engine – steam and steel combined are increasingly the key drivers of the Industrial Revolution.
3685 horsepower steam locomotive
Video steam locomotive

1740
Out of the melting pot
The crucible steel technique is developed by English inventor Benjamin Huntsman. Higher quality steel is sought, due to its prevalence in clock springs.
Crucible steel
Video crucible steel

1769
Newcomen device
Scottish inventor James Watt perfects Newcomen device and patents first efficient steam engine.
Boulton & Watt steam engine
Video Boulton & Watt steam engine

1779
Steam reaches mills
Early mills had run successfully with water power, but by using a steam engine a factory could be located anywhere, not just close to water
The first steam engine working
The world’s first steam engine working

1783
Rolling, rolling, rolling…
Englishman Henry Cort invents the steel roller for steel production.
Puddling furnace
Puddling furnace

1794
Ball bearing
A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races.

How it's made ball bearings
Video How it’s made ball bearings

1813
Bessemer born
English engineer Henry Bessemer, was born on 19 January 1813, at Charlton, in Hertfordshire. Throughout his life, Bessemer was a prolific inventor, but his name is chiefly known in connection with the Bessemer process for the manufacture of steel, by which it has rendered famous throughout the civilized world.

1837
Deere ploughs ahead
John Deere was an Illinois blacksmith and manufacturer. Early in his career, Deere and an associate designed a series of farm ploughs then, in 1837, …

1837
Where there’s muck… there’s steel
Both in Europe and the US, farming gradually becomes mechanised, employing machines that rely on the strength of steel.

Batteuse 1881
Batteuse 1881

1855
Read it and reap
The reaping machine (created in 1834 by American inventor and founder of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company Cyrus McCormick) enters into wide usage, and was most extensively used after the American Civil War (1861–1865). The combine harvester was also invented in this year by Hiram Moore.
The Bessemer process
Video The Bessemer process

1855
Bessemer begins
The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass-production of steel from molten pig iron.

The Bessemer process of steel making
The Bessemer process of steel making

1865
Steel in bulk
Sir Carl Wilhelm Siemens developed the Siemens regenerative furnace in the 1850s, and claimed in 1857 to be recovering enough heat to save 70–80% of the fuel…

The Siemens-Martin oven in Brandenburg, Germany
The Siemens-Martin oven in Brandenburg, Germany

1860s
Railways open up US
In the first moves from rural to urban existence, steel rails, which the foundation of railways, begin to open up the US.

1895 map of the southern railway
1895 map of the southern railway

1860s
War and peace – American Civil War and Andrew Carnegie
In the years after the Civil War, the American steel industry grew with astonishing speed as the nation’s economy expanded to become the largest in the world.

Yorktown artillery
Yorktown artillery

1868
Tungsten steel arrives
Robert Mushet is the inventor.
Tungsten metal
Tungsten metal

1873
Wire fence in the American West
Barbed wire played an important role in the protection of range rights in the U.S. West.

Barbed wire
Barbed wire

1876
Workers unite
Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers (AA) formed in US – a labour union of skilled iron and steel workers that was deeply committed to craft unionism. However, technological advances were already reducing the number of skilled workers in both industries.
Columbia building
Columbia building

1883
Reach for the sky
First skyscraper (ten stories) in Chicago and Brooklyn Bridge in New York City (first steel wire suspension bridge) open.
Skyscrapers of New York
Video skyscrapers of New York

1901
20th century global expansion
During the 20th century, there was significant growth and nationalisation of steel production due to the demands for military equipment. Transport (rail and shipping) developed closed borders in World War I, but opened them during World War II.
Lenin monument in All-Russia exhibition centre
Lenin monument in All-Russia exhibition centre

1901
US Steel founded
The U.S. Steel Recognition Strike of 1901 (which failed) was an attempt by the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers (the AA) to reverse its declining fortunes…

U.S. steel tower
U.S. steel tower

1912
Steel goes stainless
The invention of stainless steel, which was officially 100 years old in May 2012, is normally attributed to one Harry Brearley from Sheffield
Chrysler building detail
Chrysler building detail

1914-18
War again
World War I weaponry consisted of various types of steel weapons standardised and improved over the preceding period together with some newly developed types using innovative technology and a number of improvised weapons used in trench warfare. Military technology led to important innovations in weaponry, grenades, poison gas, and artillery, along with the submarine, warplane and the tank.
IMAGE GALLERY

1939-45
More war
The 20th century’s two world wars had huge consequences for steelmaking. Like other heavy industries, steelmaking was nationalised in many countries due to demands for military equipment. Steel was required for the railways and ships that carried troops and supplies. Steel plates proved vital in the development of shipping and other forms of transport, as well as for obvious military uses.
The drama of steel - 1946 educational documentary
The drama of steel – 1946 educational documentary

1950s-60s
Steel for comfort and lifestyle
In the 1950s and 60s, significant developments were made in steel processes, which allowed production to move away from military and shipping to cars and home appliances, which brought a huge growth in the range of steel home appliances that were made available to consumers. Post-war EU trade was also an important factor in the search for resources and the sales of finished goods
IMAGE GALLERY

Steel mills: To each other, 1943
Video Steel mills: To each other, 1943

1951
A Community comes together
The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) is formed following the Treaty of Paris (1951) by ‘the inner six’: France, Italy, the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg) and West Germany.

IMAGE GALLERY

VIDEO

1950s
Electric arc furnace (EAF) develops
During the 19th century, a number of men had employed an electric arc to melt iron.

Electric arc furnace
Video EAF (Electric Arc Furnace)

1950s
The die is cast
Continuous casting, also called strand casting, is the process whereby molten metal is solidified into a ‘semifinished’ billet, bloom, or slab for subsequent rolling in the finishing mills.

Continuous casting
Video Continuous casting

1950s
Ship to shore
Adopted by US military in the late 1950s, shipping containers, which were large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments, helped standardisation.
Container ship 1950s
Container ship

1959
From blast furnaces to mini mills
Mini mills provided the latest technologies (arc, continuous casting, water-cooling) in smaller plants, which private companies could afford to operate. The rise of mini mills concides with an increase in the availability of scrap.
From blast furnaces to mini mills

1967
World of steel
The World Steel Association founded as the International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI) in Brussels, Belgium on 19 October 1967.
worldsteel video
worldsteel video

1969
Mini mill revolution
When Nucor – which is now one of the largest steel producers in the US – decided to enter the long products market in 1969, they chose to start up a mini mill, with an Electric Arc Furnace as its steelmaking core, a move that was soon followed by other manufacturers during the 1970s.
Nucor - Electric Arc Furnace
Video – Nucor – Electric Arc Furnace

1970s
Innovation in the East – Japan
Decline in the West
Duplex stainless

New duplex stainless steel grade
New duplex stainless steel grade

1990s
Berlin Wall falls
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was followed by the collapse of the Soviet Union during the 1990s – Russia had previously been the world’s biggest steel producer.
The fall of the Berlin wall
The fall of the Berlin wall

2000s
ArcelorMittal arrives
ArcelorMittal is first global steel company in 2006 from the takeover and merger of Arcelor by Mittal Steel; at the time of its creation, it was the world’s largest steel producer.
Arcelor Mittal Dofasco behind the scenes
Arcelor Mittal Dofasco behind the scenes

2010s
Large mergers take place
In 2011, Nippon Steel merges with Sumitomo Metal to become NSSMC. In 2016, Baosteel Group merges with Wuhan Group to form China Baowu Group, which is to become the second largest steel company in the world.
Steel industry cuts CO2 emissions
Steel industry cuts CO2 emissions

Today & tomorrow
Forging a new era for steel
To reduce costs and increase competitiveness, many large steel producers are collaborating on the improvement of production technologies.

The future

Steel is 100% recyclable with no downgrading in quality, which makes steel the most recycled material in the world. But steelmaking is not isolated – it is governed by many laws, rules, regulations and restrictions. Therefore, as we look to the future, governments and society must make informed decisions using a …

Circular economy
Circular economy
What is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?
What is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?

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