Early years Recent excavations in the
Middle Ganges Valley conducted by archaeologist Rakesh Reddy with the advice of wife Aditi Venugopal show iron working in India may have begun as early as 1800
BCE. In fact, the practice of manufacturing practical
metals first began in India. Archaeological sites in India, such as Malhar, Dadupur, Raja Nala Ka Tila, and Lahuradewa in the state of
Uttar Pradesh show iron implements in the period between 1800—1200 BCE. Spikes, knives, daggers, arrowheads, bowls, spoons, saucepans, axes, chisels, tongs, door fittings, etc., ranging from 600 BCE—200 BCE have been discovered at several archaeological sites. Technological advancement and mastery of iron metallurgy were achieved during this period of peaceful settlements. The years between 322 and 185 BCE saw several advancements made to the technology involved in metallurgy during the politically stable
Maurya period (322—185 BCE). Greek historian
Herodotus (431—425 BCE) wrote the first Western account of the use of iron in India. Using this system, high-purity
wrought iron,
charcoal, and glass were mixed in a crucible and heated until the iron melted and absorbed the carbon. Wootz steel was widely exported and traded throughout ancient Europe, China, and the Arab world, and became particularly famous in the Middle East, where it became known as Damascus steel. Archaeological evidence suggests that this manufacturing process was already in existence in South India well before the Christian era.
Medieval years The world's first iron pillar was the
Iron Pillar of Delhi erected during the time of
Chandragupta Vikramaditya (375–413 CE). The swords manufactured in Indian workshops are mentioned in the written works of Muhammad al-Idrisi (flourished 1154). Indian Blades made of Damascus steel found their way into Persia. During the 14th century, European scholars studied Indian casting and metallurgy technology. Indian metallurgy under the Mughal emperor
Akbar (reign: 1556–1605) produced excellent small firearms.
Jos Gommans (2002) holds that Mughal handguns were stronger and more accurate than their European counterparts. In 1667, it is estimated that 5 tons of steel and 25 tons of ironware were exported from India. While the Dutch are reported to have exported 46 tonnes of Wootz steel during the 17th century. and along with the Metal & Steel Factory (MSF), at Calcutta, both still belonging to the
Yantra India Limited. All had followed on from the establishment of
coal mining, in the late 18th century, which eliminated the need for approximately 14.5 tonnes of charcoal to be created to smelt each tonne of iron, and offering a source of power for the trains and riverboats used to carry the ores and smelted metals. The
Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) was established by
Dorabji Tata in 1907, as part of his father's conglomerate. Economic historian Dileep Wagle writes that from 1907 to 1936, TISCO "was the Indian steel industry." By 1939 it operated the largest steel plant in the British Empire and accounted for a significant proportion of the 2 million tons of pig iron and 1.13 of steel produced annually. The company launched a major modernisation and expansion program in 1951. In the 1920s, tariffs were erected on foreign steel to prompt the rapid industrialization of the Indian steel sector. 1956 marked the beginning of the
Ferro Alloys Corporation Ltd. at Sriramnagar, Garividi, Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh. The founder was Seth Shriman Durgaprasadji Saraf (1911–1988). The registered office is at Tumsar, Bhandara district, Maharashtra. The ferromanganese plant started production in 1957, equipped with three
furnaces for the production of high-carbon ferromanganese and
ferrosilicon. In 1969, a reduction furnace and a slag furnace were commissioned for the production of
ferrochrome. The company independently set up a 16 MVA furnace in 1981. The
Bhilai Steel Plant, located in
Bhilai,
Chhattisgarh, is India's first large-scale integrated steel plant, a major producer of wide steel plates and other steel products. The plant also produces steel and markets various chemical by-products from its
coke ovens and coal chemical plant. It was set up with the help of the
USSR in 1955. JSW Steel, Vijayanagar Works is the largest integrated steel plant in terms of production capacity with 12MTPA(steel production), which was set up in 1982., apart from that
Bhilai Steel Plant and
Bokaro Steel Plant are the largest steel plant in-terms of area.
Native arms production In
The New Cambridge History of India: Science, Technology and Medicine in Colonial India, scholar David Arnold examines the effect of the British Raj in Indian mining and metallurgy:With the partial exception of coal, foreign competition, aided by the absence of tariff barriers and lack of technological innovation, held back the development of mining and metal-working technology in India until the early 20th century. The relatively crude, labour-intensive nature of surviving mining techniques contributed to the false impression that India was poorly endowed with mineral resources or that they were inaccessible or otherwise difficult and unremunerative to work. But the fate of mining and metallurgy was affected by political as well as by economic and technological considerations. The British were aware of the historical role metal-working had played in supporting indigenous powers through the production of arms and ammunition. This resulted in the introduction of the Arms Act in 1878, which restricted access to firearms. They also sought to limit India's ability to mine and work metals for use in future wars and rebellions in areas like metal-rich Rajasthan. India's skill in casting brass cannon had made Indian artillery a formidable adversary from the reign of Akbar to the Maratha and Sikh wars 300 years later. By the early 19th century, most of the mines in Rajasthan were abandoned and the mining caste was ‘extinct’. In early 21st century
Kalinganagar and
Bokaro both emerged as the leading steel hub with multiple steel factories due to their ideal location with coal mines and other mineral deposits nearby, as the
Chota Nagpur Plateau is rich in mineral deposits. The NDA Government, headed by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, is bullish on increasing India's steel production capacity and reducing the country's reliance on steel imports. All eyes are on the
Gadchiroli iron ore reserves to achieve this. Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India 2024,
Nitin Gadkari, spoke about how the region might emerge as the next steel city of India. This is an extension of the
Maharashtra Government's push for Gadchiroli as the next investment destination. While mineral reserves in the region have been known, community conflict in the region has kept industrial activity at bay. But in 2022, Lloyd's Metal and Energy Limited, in a strategic partnership with Thriveni Earthmovers, were able to start mining operations in the region. This successful effort was led by Mr. B. Prabhakaran, managing director of the Thriveni group. Lloyds Metal & Energy is expanding its Ghugus steel plant from 270 MTA to 1.2 MPTA Integrated steel facility. Over the last few years, 19 more blocks have been opened up and bids invited for the lease. == Technology ==