8 Amazing Facts You Didn’t Know About the Evolution of Steel

1. The earliest known product of steel is about 4,000 years old.

2. The tin can was first patented in 1810. Today about 200 billion tin cans are produced each year, and 600 steel and tin cans are recycled every second.

3. The amount of daily steel production is enough to build 548 Eiffel towers. However, the development of modern steels means that if the Eiffel Tower was rebuilt today, it would only require one-third of the steel that was originally used.

4. Global steel production almost doubled between 2001 and 2014. Today about 8 million people work in the steel industry, which is about the same as the population of Switzerland.

5. The first steel-made automobile was introduced in 1918. Modern cars are built with new steels that are stronger but also up to 35% lighter than in the past.

6. Steel made the modern skyscraper possible. The Home Insurance Building in Chicago, completed in 1885, was the world’s first skyscraper. Today the housing and construction sector uses about 50% of world steel production.

7. The amount of energy needed to produce a ton of steel has been reduced by 34 percent since 1972.

8. Steel can be recycled endlessly with no detrimental effects on its properties. All steel created as long ago as 150 years can be recycled and used in new products and applications.

*All information provided by the ‘World Steel Association’ and ‘American Iron and Steel Institute’.

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