A look at how the United States was built on steel

There are traces of the long and vibrant history of steel visible across West Yorkshire; it’s clear the see both the heritage of the material and its modern scientific face. Although the area has always been linked with ironmaking, steel is a global product and has shaped landscapes, economies and possibly even culture across the world. The start of steel in the USA At one time it was America that claimed the steel crown, during a production peak around 1950 but what’s really interesting is that it was the British that started the entire industry. While America was still a British colony, making iron required vast amounts of charcoal – more than British forests could supply. Because in those days, war between European nations was almost a weekend hobby, Britain chose to look to the heavily wooded lands of America rather than risk importing from nations closer to home. These early furnaces were small, exporting around 1/8th of what Britain produced at the time, but more and more American plants sprang up to meet the domestic demand and early infrastructure needs. The numbers grew rapidly and by the time of the War of Independence, both countries are estimated to have been making roughly the same amounts.

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