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pig iron
noun
: crude iron that is the direct product of the blast furnace and is refined to produce steel, wrought iron, or ingot iron
Examples of pig iron in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That's back when famed plant explorers made of pig iron and buckshot were scouring the globe for new plants to diversify our gardens.
—Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 5 Apr. 2024
Companies are investing in smelters producing nickel pig iron, used in stainless steel, according to a report from Oxford Economics.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 15 Dec. 2023
The ship sank in October 1870 while carrying pig iron and shingles from Green Bay en route to Chicago.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 20 July 2023
An iron-smelting furnace was located along the Oregon Branch stream and operated from 1844 to 1858 and, at its peak, produced 4,500 tons of pig iron annually.
—Melissa Whatley, Baltimore Sun, 30 June 2023
With its birth in 1871 came the need for tons of pig iron to fix the U.S.'s crumbling infrastructure, so Colonel James Withers Sloss began to build Sloss Furnaces.
—Ashley Leath, Country Living, 5 July 2023
The raw materials segment produces DRI; brokers ferrous and nonferrous metals, pig iron, hot briquetted iron and DRI; supplies ferro-alloys; and processes ferrous and nonferrous scrap metal.
—Charles Rotblut, Forbes, 4 May 2023
Russia is the world’s largest exporter of wheat, pig iron, nickel and natural gas, and a major supplier of coal, crude oil and fertilizer.
—New York Times, 30 Apr. 2022
Sparks dance as caldrons of glowing pig iron are then poured into casts to make brick-size ingots in one of the many stages of iron and steel production at this plant in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, where Zaporizhstal’s smokestacks dominate the skyline.
—Finbarr O’Reilly, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pig iron.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1665, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near pig iron
Cite this Entry
“Pig iron.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pig%20iron. Accessed 18 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
pig iron
noun
: crude iron that is the direct product of the blast furnace and when refined yields steel, wrought iron, or high-purity iron
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