Definition of the word pig iron

The term "pig iron" originated during the Industrial Revolution in the late 1700s and early 1800s, when iron was being mass-produced for the first time. Iron ore is typically mixed with other materials, such as coal and limestone, and then heated in a blast furnace until it melts into a molten state. The resulting fluid iron, known as "hot metal," is then poured into molds to form solid shapes. During the molding process, the iron can be quite difficult to handle due to its molten and sticky nature. As a result, workers often poured the iron into large wooden troughs called "pigs," which were then easily transported and manipulated. The ingots formed from the molten metal come to look like the shape of pigs when in those wooden troughs, which produced the term "pig iron," as this shape of metal is literally the "pig" for the iron casting process. In modern times, pig iron is still used as a primary ingredient in the production of steel, as its high carbon content makes it ideal for further processing. However, modern steel mills have replaced the wooden troughs with more sophisticated methods of handling molten iron.