UK steel has been in the press recently, and that highlighted that a lot of people talking about steel really don’t know much about steel!
Obviously I use steel a lot, but it’s important to understand there are many different type of steel and only some of what I use is made in the UK.
It’s also important to understand that making new steel from ore is a chemical reaction, it’s not just about heat, and the type and quality of the coke use is really important. Coke is made by heating coal, and much of the coal in the uk has loads of stuff in it that makes it great for heating but useless for making steel, things like sulphur react with the iron in bad ways. The coal we need to make great steel is mostly under north America and Australia!
It’s also worth noting that we have two types of steel making in the UK, blast furnaces making iron from ore and electric arc furnaces used for recycling existing steel and iron. These are two very different processes from very different types of factory. Don’t think you can use an electric ark to make new steel.
So, what’s it all about.
The UK steel industry has long been a cornerstone of British engineering, infrastructure, and industrial heritage, the backbone of the Industrial Revolution. And despite facing global challenges in recent years, steel remains an essential material in everything from buildings and bridges to wind turbines and – crucially for me – cars. Understanding where our steel comes from, how it’s made, and what types are produced today is vital if we are to secure a sustainable future for UK manufacturing.
The Foundations: Metallurgical Coal and Coke Production
At the heart of steelmaking is a special ingredient: metallurgical coal, often called coking coal. Unlike thermal coal used for power generation, coking coal is required to make coke, a carbon-rich material essential for traditional blast furnace steelmaking. When heated in coke ovens at around 1,100°C in the absence of oxygen, this coal produces coke which is almost pure carbon, which then reacts with iron ore in a blast furnace to rip the oxygen out of the iron oxide and create molten pig iron, the primary ingredient in steel. This is the chemical reaction bit and why pure coke is vital.
In the UK, coke production has largely declined due to both environmental pressures and the closure of traditional coke oven facilities. However, British Steel in Scunthorpe and Tata Steel in Port Talbot still rely on imported metallurgical coal—primarily from Australia, the USA, and Canada—to maintain their blast furnace operations. Some coke is also produced locally at these integrated sites, but the bulk of raw material is now globally sourced, adding cost and carbon emissions.
So what types of Steel are produced in the UK today?
The UK steel sector produces a range of steel types, generally falling into two broad categories:
Carbon Steel (Non-alloyed)
Widely used in construction, pipelines, and automotive frames.
Produced in forms such as hot-rolled coil, sheet, and rebar.
Suitable for structural components and body-in-white applications in car production.
Alloy and Stainless Steel
Includes high-strength low alloy (HSLA) steels used in automotive safety structures and aerospace.
Stainless steels produced by Outokumpu in Sheffield cater to food processing, medical devices, and high-performance parts.
Tool steels and spring steels are also made for specialist industries like defence and motorsport.
Electrical Steel
Essential in EV motor production and transformers.
UK production is limited but growing, with renewed interest in domestic supply for net-zero tech.
Speciality and Recycled Steel
Liberty Steel, for example, uses electric arc furnaces (EAFs) to recycle scrap steel, producing grades used in construction and some automotive applications.
This is a cleaner, lower-carbon method of steel production that is gaining traction.
Steel Used in Car Manufacturing: A Closer Look
Modern car manufacturing uses over 200 different grades of steel, with an increasing focus on advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) to reduce vehicle weight while maintaining crash safety. Here’s how UK production compares:
Steel Type Use in Cars UK Availability
Mild steel Body panels, brackets Widely produced in UK
High-strength low-alloy Chassis, crash structures Made at Tata Port Talbot, British Steel
Dual-phase and TRIP steels Safety cages, B-pillars Limited domestic production
Stainless steel Exhaust systems, trim Produced in Sheffield
Electrical steel EV motors, stators Some domestic supply, growing demand
The UK has significant capability for structural and standard automotive steels, but production of some advanced grades is limited and often sourced from Europe or Asia. As EV adoption increases, so does the need for electrical steels and ultra-high-strength steels, areas where targeted investment could boost UK self-reliance.
A Strategic Industry Worth Supporting
Steel underpins much of the UK’s industrial base and offers major opportunities in green energy, EV manufacturing, defence, and rail. However, its reliance on carbon-intensive processes like blast furnaces raises questions about sustainability.
Encouraging moves include:
Investment in electric arc furnace (EAF) technology to improve steel making from scarp, however this doesn’t replace blast furnaces for new steel.
Support for hydrogen-based steelmaking, as trialled in Sweden and Germany.
Development of a closed-loop recycling system for car and construction steel in the UK.
By aligning our industrial strategy, environmental goals, and automotive innovation, the UK has a chance to revitalise its steel sector as a clean, strategic industry that’s fit for the future. But that takes initiative and commitment from the government, it also need people who make decisions to understand a little bit about the subject.