Editing v0.34:Steel

{{Quality|Masterwork|23:34, 27 April 2013 (UTC)}}
{{Alloy3
|name=Steel
|color=0:7:1
|color1=0:0:1
|color2=0:0:1
|color3=7:0:1
|tile3=•
|uses=
* [[weapon|Melee Weapons]]
* [[Crossbow]]s
* [[Bolt]]s
* [[Pick]]s
* [[Armor]]
* [[Anvil]]
* [[Metalsmith's forge|Metal crafting]]
|recipe=
* 1 [[iron]] [[bar]] 
* 1 [[pig iron]] [[bar]] 
* 1 [[flux]] [[stone]]
* 1 [[fuel|coal]] [[bar]] 
|properties=
* [[Material value]] 30
}}{{av}}

'''Steel''' is the best common metal for smithing most [[weapon]]s and [[armor]]. Products made with steel also have a very high value, equal to that of [[gold]].

Steel can be created at a [[smelter]] by a [[dwarf]] with the [[furnace operator]] [[labor]] activated.

==Sedimentary Layers==

To smelt steel, you will need [[iron]] ore, [[flux]] stone, and [[fuel]].  Flux is used to remove impurities including carbon during the smelting process, while fuel (coke or charcoal) removes oxygen and puts back in a small amount of carbon. The end result is steel: iron with just the right amount of carbon in it.  The three ores of iron (hematite, magnetite, and limonite) can only be found in [[sedimentary layer]]s, with the exception of hematite, which can occasionally be found in igneous extrusive layers.  Furthermore, four of the five [[flux]] stones (calcite, chalk, dolomite, and limestone) are found only in sedimentary layers, as well as both [[coal]] ores (bituminous coal and lignite) for making [[coke]] fuel.

If you have no sedimentary layers at your fortress site, your only hope to make steel is with:
* hematite from [[igneous extrusive]] layers
* melting iron items brought by [[siege]]rs and [[trade]] caravans
* marble from [[metamorphic]] layers
* wood for making [[charcoal]] fuel

Even if you find and use magma for your furnaces, you'll still need fuel as a reactant in the smelting process, so you'll be cutting down a tree and burning it to make charcoal for every bar of steel you manage to create.

==Recipe==
Steel production is fairly complex compared to the creation of other [[alloy]]s. ''Important note'': in steelmaking, [[coke]] or [[charcoal]] is also used as an ingredient, apart from its use as [[fuel]]. A conventional (non-magma) smelter will require an additional unit of fuel in each reaction.

The first step is '''to create [[pig iron]]''':

:*1 bar of [[iron]]
:*1 [[flux]] stone
:*1 unit of [[fuel]] (as a source of carbon)
:*1 unit of fuel, or magma (to heat the forge)
:'''Produces''':
:*1 bar of pig iron

[[Image:SteelSword.png|thumb|right|200px|''A [[steel]] [[short sword]].'']]

The second step combines the pig iron with plain iron '''to produce steel''':

:*1 bar of iron
:*1 bar of pig iron
:*1 [[flux]] stone
:*1 unit of fuel (as a source of carbon)
:*1 unit of fuel, or magma (to heat the forge)
:'''Produces''':
:*2 bars of steel

The overall reaction consumes 2 bars of iron, 2 units of flux, and 2 units of fuel as ingredients (plus an extra 2 fuel at a conventional smelter for heating). This produces 2 bars of steel.

Remember that smelting [[iron]] [[ore]] also requires 1 unit of fuel at a conventional smelter, producing 4 bars of [[iron]], which translates to half a unit of additional fuel used in the recipe above (although you will need a full unit up front.)

[[File:SteelChart.png|center|485px]]

==Bugs==
Having a smelter/magma smelter inside a burrow can prevent the creation of steel and other alloys if any of the materials are not included in the burrow {{bug|434}}.

{{gamedata}}
{{metals}}