The steel sector is one of the most crucial sectors in the development of a nation and is considered as the backbone of civilisation. The level of per capita consumption of steel is an important determinant of the socio-economic development of the country. India’s 33 per cent growth

in steel production in the last five years

Was second only to China among the

top five steel producing nations,

according to data by World Steel

Association (WSA).India is the

fourth largest producer of crude

steel and the largest producer of soft iron in the world.

HISTORY

Iron and Steel industry in the country has experienced a sustainable growth since the independence of the country. A humble beginning of the modern steel industry was reached in India at Kulti in West Bengal in the year 1870. But the outset of bigger production became noticeable with the establishment of a steel plant in Jamshedpur in Bihar in 1907. It started production in 1912. The new township was named after Jamshed ji Tata.

MAJOR IRON ORE PRODUCING AREAS

PROCESSING

Like other industries iron and steel industry too comprise various inputs, processes and outputs. This is a feeder industry whose products are used as raw material for other industries

Iron and steel are used widely in the construction of roads, railways, other infrastructure, appliances, and buildings. Most large modern structures, such as stadiums and skyscrapers, bridges and airports, are supported by a steel skeleton. Even those with a concrete structure employ steel for reinforcing.

In addition, it sees widespread use in major appliances and cars. Despite growth in usage of aluminium, it is still the main material for car bodies.

Other common applications include shipbuilding,  pipelines,  mining,  offshore construction, aerospace, white goods (e.g. washing machines), heavy equipment such as bulldozers, office furniture, steel wool, tools, and armour in the form of personal vests or vehicle armour

Before 1800 A.D. iron and steel industry was located where raw material, power supply and running water were easily available. Later the ideal location for the industry was near coal fields and close to canals and roadways. After 1950, iron and steel industry began to be located on large areas of flat land near sea ports. This is because by the time steel works had become very large and iron ore had to be imported from overseas.

Location Of Iron And Steel Industry

Iron and Steel Industries of India

Indian Iron and steel Industry can be divided into two main sectors Public sector and Private sector. There are three major integrated steel players in India, namely Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited (TISCO) and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL).

THE BEGINNING

The Indian iron and steel industry is nearly a

century old, with Tata Iron & Steel Co as the first

integrated steel plant to be set up in 1907. The

steel industry is expanding worldwide. The

economic modernization processes in these

countries are driving the sharp rise in demand for

steel.

INDIAN STEEL KING: TATA STEEL Tata Steel is the world's 6th largest steel company with an existing annual crude steel capacity of 28 million tons. Asia's first integrated steel plant and

India's largest integrated private sector steel company is now the world's second most geographically diversified steel producer.

Tata Steel plans to grow and globalise through organic and inorganic routes.Its 5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) Jamshedpur Works plans to double its capacity by 2010. The Company also has three greenfield steel projects in the states of Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh and proposed steel making facilities in Vietnam and Bangladesh.

Famous Iron and Steel Industries Of World

THE BEGINNING

The beginning of Pittsburgh began with centuries of Native

American civilization in the modern Pittsburgh region.

Eventually French and British explorers encountered the

strategic juncture where the Allegheny and Monongahela

Rivers meet to form the Ohio. The area became a

battleground when France and Britain fought for control in

the 1750s.

PITTSBURGH It is an important steel city of the United

States of America. The steel industry at Pittsburgh enjoys locational advantages. Some of the raw material such as coal is available locally, while the iron ore comes from the iron mines at Minnesota, about 1500 km from Pittsburgh. Between these mines and Pittsburgh is one of the world’s best routes for shipping ore cheaply – the famous Great Lakes waterway.

Trains carry the ore from the Great Lakes to the Pittsburgh area. The Ohio, the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers provide adequate water supply.

The Pittsburgh area has many factories other than steel mills. These use steel as their raw material to make many different products such as railroad equipment, heavy machinery and rails.

1. Arcelor Mittal2. Pohang Iron and Steel Company3. Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal4. Vale5. JFE Holdings6. Baoshan Iron and Steel7. Tata Steel8. Nucor9. Metalurgica Gerdau10.Kobe Steel

Top 10 Iron and Steel Industries in the World