MANUFACTURING OF STEEL
FROM CAST IRON

Chinese has found a way to produce cast iron and invented a way to produce steel from cast iron around the 2nd century BC. Though Chinese were not the first to make steel, they did invent two particular steel manufacturing processes: taking the carbong out of cast iron was the first one, melting wrought and cast iron together to make something in between which was steel was the second one. The Chinese used the steel mostly in the weapon making such as new swords, new crossbows, and some in the agriculture machines parts.

This cast iron pagoda in Luoning, Shantung Province, was built in 1105. It was cast layer by layer in octagonal sections, and stands 78 feets high. There are several such cast iron pagodas in China, some even older than this one.