Almost all (98%) of globally produced iron ore goes to making steel. Steel is an alloy of (mostly) iron, carbon and other elements with carbon content less than 2%. Steel is the most used and important engineering material in the world due to its high strength relative to weight and cost effectiveness. The usage of iron (in steel) is about 20 times more than all other metals usage put together. About 60% of iron and steel products are used in construction and transportation. 20% are used in machinery manufacture.

The rest are used for packaging, in power and energy sectors and in various household appliances and other equipment.

Uses of iron in our daily life

Iron has been used throughout history for many purposes. Wrought iron can be used for seating, fences, and other decorative purposes whilst cast iron is commonly used in kitchen utensils such as frying pans.

Iron is often combined with steel to create an alloyed steel which and is ideal for use in construction. For example, alloyed steel is frequently used for the framework of a number of storage buildings, as well as in the construction of some parts of automobiles and the hulls of large carrier and passenger ships.