Iron and Steel
Statistics and Information

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

If you are interested in receiving an email notice when a publication is added to this page, please refer to Minerals Information List Services.

Annual Publications

Mineral Commodity Summaries

• Iron and Steel
    PDF Format:
       | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |2012 |2013 |
• Appendixes

Minerals Yearbook

• Iron and Steel
    PDF Format:
       | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
    XLS Format:
       | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
• 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
  • Iron and steel
• 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
  • Iron and Steel
• Steel Stocks in Use in Automobiles in the United States
  Fact Sheet 2005-3144

Contact

• USGS Mineral Commodity Specialist
  Michael Fenton
  Phone: 703-648-4972
  Fax: 703-648-7757
  Email: mfenton@usgs.gov
  

Links

• USGS Minerals Information: Ferroalloys
• USGS Minerals Information: Iron Ore
• USGS Minerals Information: Iron and Steel Scrap
• USGS Minerals Information: Iron and Steel Slag