Ferrous - Wikipedia Ferrous Ferrous oxide is more correctly called iron ( II ) oxide. In chemistry, ferrous ( Fe ), indicates a divalent iron compound ( + 2 oxidation state ), as opposed to ferric, which indicates a trivalent iron compound ( + 3 oxidation state ). This usage has mostly been deprecated, with current IUPAC nomenclature having names containing the oxidation state in bracketed Roman numerals instead, such as iron ( II ) oxide for ferrous oxide ( FeO ), and iron ( III ) oxide for ferric oxide ( Fe O ). Pourbaix diagram of aqueous iron Outside chemistry, ferrous indicates the presence of iron. The word is derived from the Latin word ferrum ( `` iron '' ). Ferrous metals include steel and pig iron ( with a carbon content of a few percent ) and alloys of iron with other metals ( such as stainless steel ). Manipulation of atom - to - atom relationships between iron, carbon, and various alloying elements establishes the specific properties of ferrous metals. Non-ferrous metals and alloys do not contain an appreciable amount of iron. See also Ferromagnetism Steelmaking Ferrous metal recycling Iron ( II ) oxide ( ferrous oxide ) Iron ( II ) bromide ( ferrous bromide ) References Look up ferrous or nonferrous in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ^ Jump up to : Ferrous, Merriam - Webster, retrieved 19 April 2008. Jump up ^ Etymology ( Meaning of Words ), 30 November 2007, retrieved 19 April 2008. Jump up ^ `` Ferrous Alloys Properties ''. All Metals & Forge Group. Retrieved 1 October 2013. Jump up ^ Non ferrous, Merriam - Webster, retrieved 19 April 2008. This chemistry - related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ferrous&oldid=835899310 '' Categories : Iron Chemistry stubs Hidden categories : Articles containing Latin - language text All stub articles Talk About Wikipedia Català فارسی Français Gaeilge 한국어 Македонски 日本 語 Português සිංහල Simple English Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Svenska 中文 6 more Edit links This page was last edited on 11 April 2018, at 13 : 06. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: which metal does the word 'ferrous' refer to answer in words not symbols
Answer: iron