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The element iron (Fe) is one of the most abundant on earth,
but it does not occur in nature in useful metallic form.
Iron ore is the term applied to a natural iron-bearing mineral
in which the content of iron is sufficient to be commercially
usable. Metallic iron, from which steel is derived,
must be extracted from iron ore. By definition, steel is a
combination of iron with a small amount of carbon.
Thousands of products having various chemical composition, forms, and sizes are made of iron and steel by casting, forging, and rolling processes. Iron and steel comprise about 95 percent of all the tonnage of metal produced annually in the United States and the world. On the average, iron and steel are by far the least expensive of the world's metals. In some applications no other materials are suitable, such as steel framing for large buildings, because of strength requirements. |
Publications
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Annual Publications
- Iron and Steel
PDF Format:
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | - Appendixes
- Iron and Steel
PDF Format:
| 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
XLS Format:
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | - Archive
| 1932-1993 | - Recycling-Metals
Special Publications
- Cr, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, and Steel Commodity Price Influences
Open-File Report 2007–1257 - Flow Studies for Recycling Metal Commodities in the United States
C-1196-A-M - Historical Statistics for Mineral and Material Commodities in the United States
Data Series 140 - Materials in Use in U.S. Interstate Highways
FS-2006-3127 - Metal Prices in the United States through 1998
- Iron and Steel (PDF)
- Mineral Commodity Profiles -- Iron and Steel
Open-File Report 2005-1254 - Statistical Compendium
- Steel Stocks in Use in Automobiles in the United States
Fact Sheet 2005-3144
Contacts
- USGS Mineral Commodity Specialist
Michael Fenton
Phone: 703-648-4972
Fax: 703-648-7757
Email: mfenton@usgs.gov
- USGS Iron Resource Specialist
Links
- USGS Minerals Information: Ferroalloys
- USGS Minerals Information: Iron Ore
- USGS Minerals Information: Iron and Steel Scrap
- USGS Minerals Information: Iron and Steel Slag