Blast furnaces are located at Port Kembla, Newcastle and Whyalla. The removal, by oxidation, of impurities in pig iron such as silicon, phosphorus and sulphur and the reduction in the carbon content, result in the production of steel. Steel is produced at Port Kembla, Newcastle, Sydney, Whyalla and Laverton North. In DRI plants the iron ore is reduced to elemental iron which is then used as a feedstock for the production of steel in electric arc furnaces. Steel is the most useful metal known.
Steel is strong, durable and extremely versatile.
Pure iron is quite soft, but adding a small amount of carbon makes it significantly harder and stronger. By changing the proportions of these additional elements, it is possible to make steels suitable for a great variety of uses. The Making of Iron and Steel , BHP Steel, Melbourne. Australia's iron ore resources, Bureau of Resource Sciences, Resource Report, Canberra.