Iron vs. Steel — What's the Difference?

A metallic element with the symbol "Fe."

An alloy that can be tailored for specific properties.

A lustrous, ductile metal susceptible to rust.

An emblem of strength or resolve.

A device heated to press clothes.

Steel is an alloy made up of iron with typically a few tenths of a percent of carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to iron. Many other elements may be present or added.

Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from Latin: ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table.

A hard, strong grey or bluish-grey alloy of iron with carbon and usually other elements, used as a structural and fabricating material

Symbol Fe A silvery-white, lustrous, malleable, ductile, magnetic or magnetizable, metallic element occurring abundantly in combined forms, notably in hematite, limonite, magnetite, and taconite, and used alloyed in a wide range of important structural materials. Atomic number 26; atomic weight 55.845; melting point 1,538°C; boiling point 2,861°C; specific gravity 7.874 (at 20°C); valence 2, 3, 4, 6. See Periodic Table.

Mentally prepare (oneself) to do or face something difficult

An implement made of iron alloy or similar metal, especially a bar heated for use in branding, curling hair, or cauterizing.

A generally hard, strong, durable, malleable alloy of iron and carbon, usually containing between 0.2 and 1.5 percent carbon, often with other constituents such as manganese, chromium, nickel, molybdenum, copper, tungsten, cobalt, or silicon, depending on the desired alloy properties, and widely used as a structural material.

Great hardness or strength; firmness

Something, such as a sword, that is made of steel.

(Sports) Any of a series of golf clubs having a bladelike metal head and numbered from one to nine in order of increasing loft.

A quality suggestive of this alloy, especially a hard, unflinching character.

A metal appliance with a handle and a weighted flat bottom, used when heated to press wrinkles from fabric.

Steel gray.

A harpoon.

Made with, relating to, or consisting of steel

Irons Fetters; shackles.

Very firm or strong

A tonic, pill, or other medication containing iron and taken as a dietary supplement.

Of a steel gray.

Made of or containing iron

To cover, plate, edge, or point with steel.

Strong, healthy, and capable of great endurance

To make hard, strong, or obdurate; strengthen

Inflexible; unyielding

An artificial metal produced from iron, harder and more elastic than elemental iron; used figuratively as a symbol of hardness.

Holding tightly; very firm

(countable) Any item made of this metal, particularly including:

To press and smooth with a heated iron

Bladed or pointed weapons, as swords, javelins, daggers.

To remove (creases) by pressing.

A piece used for striking sparks from flint.

To put into irons; fetter.

Armor.

To fit or clad with iron.

A honing steel, a tool used to sharpen or hone metal blades.

To iron clothes.

(sewing) Pieces used to strengthen, support, or expand an item of clothing.

(uncountable) A common, inexpensive metal, silvery grey when untarnished, that rusts, is attracted by magnets, and is used in making steel.

(dialectal) A flat iron.

A metallic chemical element having atomic number 26 and symbol Fe.

A sewing needle; a knitting needle; a sharp metal stylus.

Any material, not a steel, predominantly made of elemental iron.

(printing) An engraving plate:

(countable) A tool or appliance made of metal, which is heated and then used to transfer heat to something else; most often a thick piece of metal fitted with a handle and having a flat, roughly triangular bottom, which is heated and used to press wrinkles from clothing, and now usually containing an electrical heating apparatus.

Projectiles.

(usually plural, irons) shackles.

(sewing) A fringe of beads or decoration of this metal.

(slang) A firearm, either a long gun or a handgun.

A type of slide used while playing the steel guitar.

(uncountable) A dark shade of the color silver.

Medicinal consumption of this metal; chalybeate medicine; (eventually) any iron or iron-treated water consumed as a medical treatment.

A male homosexual.

(countable) Varieties of this metal.

(golf) A golf club used for middle-distance shots.

The gray hue of this metal; steel-gray, or steel blue.

Used as a symbol of great strength or toughness, or to signify a very strong or tough material.

(figurative) Extreme hardness or resilience.

(weightlifting) Weight used as resistance for the purpose of strength training.

Made of steel.

A meteorite consisting primarily of metallic iron (mixed with a small amount of nickel), as opposed to one composed mainly of stony material.

Similar to steel in color, strength, or the like; steely.

A safety curtain in a theatre.

(business) Of or belonging to the manufacture or trade in steel.

Dumb bombs, those without guidance systems.

Containing steel.

(not comparable) Made of the metal iron.

(printing) Engraved on steel.

(figuratively) Strong as of will, inflexible.

(transitive) To edge, cover, or point with steel.

(transitive) To pass an iron over (clothing or some other item made of cloth) in order to remove creases.

(transitive) To harden or strengthen; to nerve or make obdurate; to fortify against.

To shackle with irons; to fetter or handcuff.

To back with steel.

(transitive) To furnish or arm with iron.

To treat a liquid with steel for medicinal purposes.

The most common and most useful metallic element, being of almost universal occurrence, usually in the form of an oxide (as hematite, magnetite, etc.), or a hydrous oxide (as limonite, turgite, etc.). It is reduced on an enormous scale in three principal forms; viz., cast iron, steel, and wrought iron. Iron usually appears dark brown, from oxidation or impurity, but when pure, or on a fresh surface, is a gray or white metal. It is easily oxidized (rusted) by moisture, and is attacked by many corrosive agents. Symbol Fe (Latin Ferrum). Atomic number 26, atomic weight 55.847. Specific gravity, pure iron, 7.86; cast iron, 7.1. In magnetic properties, it is superior to all other substances.

To press with a flat iron.

An instrument or utensil made of iron; - chiefly in composition; as, a flatiron, a smoothing iron, etc.

To cause to resemble steel in appearance.

Fetters; chains; handcuffs; manacles.

(transitive) To steelify; to turn iron into steel.

Strength; power; firmness; inflexibility; as, to rule with a rod of iron.

(transitive) To electroplate an item, particularly an engraving plate, with a layer of iron.

An iron-headed club with a deep face, chiefly used in making approaches, lifting a ball over hazards, etc.

(transitive) To sharpen with a honing steel.

Of, or made of iron; consisting of iron; as, an iron bar, dust.

Coldbath Fields Prison in London, closed in 1877.

Resembling iron in color; as, iron blackness.

A variety of iron intermediate in composition and properties between wrought iron and cast iron (containing between one half of one per cent and one and a half per cent of carbon), and consisting of an alloy of iron with an iron carbide. Steel, unlike wrought iron, can be tempered, and retains magnetism. Its malleability decreases, and fusibility increases, with an increase in carbon.

Like iron in hardness, strength, impenetrability, power of endurance, insensibility, etc.;

An instrument or implement made of steel

Rude; hard; harsh; severe.

A weapon, as a sword, dagger, etc.

Firm; robust; enduring; as, an iron constitution.

Fig.: Anything of extreme hardness; that which is characterized by sternness or rigor.

Inflexible; unrelenting; as, an iron will.

An instrument of steel (usually a round rod) for sharpening knives.

Not to be broken; holding or binding fast; tenacious.

A chalybeate medicine.

To smooth with an instrument of iron; especially, to smooth, as cloth, with a heated flatiron; - sometimes used with out.

A piece of steel for striking sparks from flint.

To shackle with irons; to fetter or handcuff.

To overlay, point, or edge with steel; as, to steel a razor; to steel an ax.

To furnish or arm with iron; as, to iron a wagon.

To make hard or strong; hence, to make insensible or obdurate.

A heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood

To cause to resemble steel, as in smoothness, polish, or other qualities.

A golf club that has a relatively narrow metal head

To cover, as an electrotype plate, with a thin layer of iron by electrolysis. The iron thus deposited is very hard, like steel.

Metal shackles; for hands or legs

An alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range

Implement used to brand live stock

A cutting or thrusting weapon with a long blade

Home appliance consisting of a flat metal base that is heated and used to smooth cloth

Knife sharpener consisting of a ridged steel rod

Press and smooth with a heated iron;

Get ready for something difficult or unpleasant

Extremely robust;

Cover, plate, or edge with steel

A magnetic metal used in various industries.

An alloy made predominantly of iron and carbon.

An essential nutrient for human health.

A metal known for its strength and versatility.

A widely used material in modern construction.

Iron is a pure metallic element, symbolized as "Fe" on the periodic table.

Steel's strength and adaptability, achieved through alloying, often make it more suitable than pure iron.

Yes, iron is an essential mineral in the human diet, crucial for blood production.

Yes, iron has been used for millennia for tools, weapons, and other purposes.

Iron has consistent strength, but it can be brittle compared to many types of steel.

Steel is durable, malleable, and can be tailored for strength, making it ideal for vehicle frames and parts.

Yes, adding different elements to steel can change its strength, flexibility, and corrosion resistance.

Steel is an alloy primarily composed of iron and carbon, whereas iron is a pure element.

Iron rusts easily, while certain types of steel, like stainless steel, have high rust resistance.

It's a type of steel alloyed with chromium, known for its corrosion resistance.

Steel is produced by mixing iron with carbon and sometimes other elements in controlled amounts.

Rusting, or oxidation, occurs when iron reacts with oxygen and moisture, leading to corrosion.

Both iron and most forms of steel are magnetic, though some steel alloys are non-magnetic.

Both iron and steel are highly recyclable and are often melted down and reused.

Yes, iron is extracted from iron ore, which is mined from the Earth's crust.