Are you deciding on steel or wrought iron? Wrought iron beats steel in strength almost every time due to its longevity, durability, and customization.
Iron is a metal and steel is a less expensive man-made alloy containing iron and carbon.
Depending on the infrastructure, engineers will weigh the options to choose between steel or wrought iron for their construction needs.
Both steel and wrought iron are widely used in manufacturing and engineering.
The two are very similar with one big difference.
The debate about which is stronger, steel or any other material, has been going on for a long time.
It is crucial to understand the history of each material in order to observe how humanity has adapted to them and made improvements for a better society.
Table of Contents
How to Evaluate Steel or Wrought Iron
When trying to determine the strength of a metal, there are four determinants to consider: yield strength, tensile strength, shear strength, and fatigue strength.
1. Tensile
Tensile strength involves pulling apart a material, and measuring how well it resists.
2. Compressive
Compressive strength involves compressing, or squeezing, a material and measuring its resistance to being compressed.
3. Yield
Yield Strength involves bending or deforming a material and measuring its resistance to this.
4. Impact
Impact strength involves applying a forceful impact to material and measuring when the material will shatter from impact.
Related Article: What Are the Top 10 Strongest Metals on Earth?
Wrought Iron: The Better Choice
While wrought iron is a good material, steel is often preferred for its strength and durability.
The popularity of steel arose from the need for faster and more affordable production of building materials.
Durability
Wrought iron is a highly robust and sturdy material that can withstand significant force over time.
Mastering the intricate and technical craft of creating wrought iron takes many years, but when done correctly, it can endure the toughest blows with ease.
Longevity
Crafting wrought-iron materials requires a great deal of meticulous effort, resulting in a finished product with exceptional durability that can last for generations to come.
Customization
Wrought iron is custom-made by one person while steel is mass-produced with many people and robots involved.
Investing in wrought iron can result in a unique and artistic product, making the added expenses worth it in the long run.
Unlike mass-produced items that can be found in many other homes and backyards, wrought iron can add a touch of individuality to your space.
Types of Iron
There are two main types of iron, cast iron and wrought iron.
Cast iron is a type of iron that is produced by smelting, rather than by hammering.
The manufacturing process involves the use of a mold.
Cast iron is made malleable through the combination of high carbon and silicon.
This unique combination of elements makes cast iron a versatile material, which can be easily cast into various shapes.
Wrought iron is an elemental form of iron (Fe) that is heated in a furnace and then shaped by hammering on an anvil to become “wrought”.
This process creates a more cohesive material by welding the iron particles together.
Strength of Wrought Iron
Wrought iron is a durable, timeless, practical, and environmentally-friendly material.
It is often used as a secure choice for home protection such as security doors, gates, fences, and more, and is still preferred over steel.
Due to its unique composition, wrought iron is capable of withstanding a lot of physical stress.
Wrought iron is known for its strength and durability, and it can be customized and designed to suit individual preferences in terms of theme and style.
This flexibility of design, combined with its robustness, makes it a popular choice for securing homes, businesses, and infrastructure.
Wrought iron is a popular material choice due to its ease of recycling and repurposing, making it a “green” option for those looking to reduce their carbon footprint.
Types of Steel
There are four main types of steel that are commonly used today: carbon steel, alloy steel, tool steel, and stainless steel.
Carbon Steel
Carbon steel is classified into low, medium, and high grades based on its carbon content. It is called carbon steel as it has little carbon and is mostly steel.
Carbon steel is used for high-tension wires, knives, and automotive parts.
Alloy Steel
Alloy steel is a more inexpensive steel option. For alloy steel, its strength depends on the combination of which metals are used.
The most commonly used metals in alloy steel are nickel, copper, and aluminum.
Tool Steel
Tool steel is used most commonly to make metal tools, hence its name, “tool steel.”
It is both heat and scrapes resistant making it another durable steel option.
It is primarily comprised of cobalt, molybdenum, and tungsten.
Stainless Steel
Perhaps the most common, the household term for steel, stainless steel gets its name from its shiny exterior finish.
It is used most commonly in surgical equipment and household appliances.
History of Iron
Iron was first used by ancient Egyptians around 3200 B.C. and was found in meteorites, which archaeologists have discovered came from the sky.
During the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age, which occurred between 1200 B.C. and 600 B.C., several civilizations collapsed leading to a breakdown of trade routes.
This made it difficult to obtain bronze, which was the preferred metal at the time.
Consequently, metal smiths had to turn to iron as an alternative.
This shift in preference for metal led to the Iron Age, which marked a significant advancement in human civilization.
In Iron Age Europe, rural and agricultural life improved with iron tools, making farming easier and more efficient.
Since the Iron Age, iron has been a crucial need for any civilization.
In 1644 America, two bog-iron smelters were built, one south of Boston and one north of Boston on the Saugus River.
Aptly named Saugus Iron Works operated until 1668. Its main purpose was to mill iron into strips for household use.
The household would then shape each of these rods into a point and use them like nails.
These nails are what built the beginning infrastructure in the 17th century.
Iron has been considered a vital resource since before the Iron Age.
Due to its durability and extensive history, we perceive iron as stronger than steel, even though both materials are used for various engineering and structural requirements. Now, let’s delve into the history of steel.
History of Steel
Steel, at its core, represents development.
The history of steel dates back almost as far as iron.
In the 13th century B.C., early blacksmiths discovered the combination of iron and charcoal.
The material that would be steel became harder and stronger when left in the furnace.
In ancient India, the discovery of ‘Wootz’ steel, an admired metal to this day, was invented around the 3rd century BC.
Although traditional ‘Wootz’ steel is no longer available, it is still imitated in modern manufacturing for its strength and durability.
By the 18th century, blacksmiths were crafting steel products that were both useful and attractive, such as swords.
As agriculture and civilizations advanced in the 1800’s, farming drastically changed due to steel in Europe and the United States.
In 1855, steel became massively produced thanks to Henry Bessemer and the Bessemer process.
It became possible to mass-produce steel in a cost-efficient manner using molten pig iron.
Another major development in the steel industry occurred just ten years later when Carl Wilhelm Siemens invented a regenerative furnace.
This furnace was able to save 80% of the heat that was originally used.
It seemed that every five years, a new discovery and enhancement was made with steel.
In 1865, the move from rural life to urban life was made possible due to steel railroads and by the 1880’s, a labor union for steel and iron was created.
As the demand for military equipment increased through much of the 19th century for World War I and World War II, the production of steel became that much more of a commodity.
More than 100 years later, steel is so widely used that recycling programs for steel have become an efficient and economical way to reuse the highly commodified material.
Since the invention of steel, around the world, it has advanced technology, and military weapons, and become a necessary recyclable.
As the world continues to innovate, so do steelworkers and the use of steel itself.
Final Thoughts:
If you’re looking for strength and durability, wrought iron is often better than steel since it maintains its strength and durability even when customized.
Wrought iron may not be feasible for large jobs or require a lot of metal, hence steel was invented as a more affordable building material.
Wrought iron offers customization, strength, and durability, but comes at a higher cost.
I hope this helps when deciding whether to use steel or wrought iron for your next job needing metal.
Enjoy living the outdoor life!!!