Iron from meteorites was first used about 6000 years ago to make ornaments, weapons and tools. These days we use 20 times more iron (in the form of steel) than all the other metals put together. There are many different types of steel and other iron compounds. The table below shows the special properties and uses of some of these.
| Name of iron compound | main components | properties | uses |
| Cast iron | iron + up to 5% carbon Sometimes 1-3% silicon |
rusts easily hard brittle |
camp ovens engine cylinder blocks woks |
| Galvanised iron | iron + zinc coating | resists rusting malleable |
roofing motor vehicle bodies boats |
| Steel | iron + less than 1% carbon | hard strong malleable |
buildings machinery transportation cans & containers household appliances |
| Stainless steel | iron + carbon nickel chromium |
doesn't rust malleable |
cutlery hospital equipment motor vehicle parts |
| Tool steel | iron + carbon vanadium, chromium tungsten and/or molybdenum |
very hard very brittle |
metal cutting tools drill bits |
NEXT: Read about how Iron is formed, or do the next quiz question.
