What are the raw materials for steel production?

In a steel factory, the most important and main raw materials for steel production are things like iron ore, coal, limestone and scrap iron. The two main and important methods by which steelmaking is carried out are the blast furnace method and the electric arc furnace method.

Every final product needs its desired materials for production. In fact, the raw material or primary material, which is called raw material in English, or is also known as unprocessed material or basic material, constitutes the nature and main material for the production of goods and final products.

As we have mentioned, for the production of any product, its primary and basic materials are needed. Steel is a material that today's finished products are used in various industries. Scrap iron and sponge iron are the two basic raw materials for steel production in the furnace.

Iron ore is transformed into steel under different processes and is used. In fact, it can be said that steel, iron and cast iron are derivatives of iron ore, so the primary and main material of all these products is iron ore.

In the furnace, scrap iron and sponge iron are the raw materials for steel production. Some scrap iron is charged in the furnace and they are melted with the help of creating an electric arc, and then sponge iron is charged in the furnace.

The physical properties of scrap iron have an important effect and if the correct choice is made It leads to breaking the electrode, spilling molten steel or even explosion. In order to minimize the problems and optimize the operation, different types of scrap iron are used.

In addition to the ferrous raw materials that constitute the main part of charging electric arc furnaces, other materials are used as melting aids, slag generators, lubricants or materials. They are needed to alloy or correct the final composition of the melt. In some cases, the carbon element is also required to adjust the final melting analysis. Lime, which is one of the most important types of smelting aids, is added to the furnace to form slags and affect chemical reactions in various stages of metallurgical refining. Alloying elements, which are often metallic materials, are added to the furnace to reach the desired final composition.