pig iron

American  

noun

1. iron tapped from a blast furnace and cast into pigs in preparation for conversion into steel, cast iron, or wrought iron.

2. iron in the chemical state in which it exists when tapped from the blast furnace, without alloying or refinement.

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pig iron British  

noun

1. crude iron produced in a blast furnace and poured into moulds in preparation for making wrought iron, steels, alloys, etc

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Etymology

Origin of pig iron

First recorded in 1655–65

Example Sentences

And companies rewarded their employees with that thinking in mind: “The more pig iron you load, the higher your daily wage.”

From The Wall Street Journal

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

The vessels were carrying pig iron and iron concentrate.

From Reuters

Its main products are aluminum, copper cathodes, pig iron, iron ore and other metals.

From Seattle Times

Prior to Russia’s invasion, nearly half of U.S. imports from Ukraine were metals such as iron, pig iron and steel, but they represented a tiny fraction of total U.S. imports of metals.

From Reuters