pig iron
Americannoun
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iron tapped from a blast furnace and cast into pigs in preparation for conversion into steel, cast iron, or wrought iron.
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iron in the chemical state in which it exists when tapped from the blast furnace, without alloying or refinement.
noun
Etymology
Origin of pig iron
First recorded in 1655–65
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 1878, confronting the lowest prices for pig iron since colonial times, American ironmasters wondered if the smokestacks on their idled blast furnaces might serve a higher use as astronomical observatories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
Other sectors included pig iron production at 12%, with cement, road freight transport, and private power generation each covering 7% of total emissions.
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2024
A third stream comes when the resulting pig iron is turned into steel by cooking it a bit further—baking off most of the remaining carbon—and alloying it with additives such as chromium or titanium.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 30, 2024
The vessels were carrying pig iron and iron concentrate.
From Reuters ● Sep. 3, 2023
The Congolese pirogues are made of a dense wood that sinks like pig iron when given half a chance.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
