Iron

Iron is a lustrous metal that forms an hydrated oxide on its surface. In its pure form it is very chemically reactive, and rapidly corrodes in air. Found in great abundance, and hence at low cost, iron is considered an extremely important metal. However in its pure form it is not that often encountered in industry. Instead it is used to form the basis for many types of steels.

The addition of other elements such as carbon, chromium, nickel and molybdenum cause the formation of materials with a wide range of favourable properties. Stainless steels are iron based alloys that contain at least 10.5% Chromium. Carbon steel is an alloy of iron with carbon, with small amounts of Mn, S, P and Si. Steels have a huge range of applications in industry.