| In North America, the most common material | | | | rate most structured steel usually contains about |
| recycled is Steel. Counting back to more than 150 | | | | 95% recycled content. Lighter, flat rolled steel only |
| years ago the steel industry has recycled such | | | | contains roughly 30% recycled materials. Since steel |
| materials on a daily basis in mass quantities due to | | | | beams are made to be a standard dimension, a small |
| the economical advantages. Since recycling is far | | | | amount of waste is produced while in construction. |
| more economically smart than paying workers to | | | | The little amount that is produced during construction |
| mine the iron ore and go through the procedures of | | | | can be recycled. Steel has advantages over wood in |
| production to form new steel which is no better than | | | | many ways. A few are stability, quality, and for |
| recycled. This is because while recycling no physical | | | | economic reasons. A normal 2000 square-foot |
| properties are lost during the process and requires | | | | two-level house would use about five to six recycled |
| far less energy and materials than if we were to | | | | cars for its steel frame. On the other hand using |
| refine from iron ore into new steel. The annual | | | | wood can require up to if not more than 40-50 trees. |
| consumption of energy has been reduced by more | | | | Each year the demand for steel strengthens. There is |
| around 75% each year due to the recycling of steel. | | | | a fair amount of steel that exists today and most is |
| To understand how much energy this is, nearly | | | | actively used daily. However, recycled steel has to be |
| eighteen million homes could be powered for one | | | | augmented by a "first-use" metal, extracted from |
| whole year. In 2005 alone over 76 million tons of | | | | raw materials. Automobiles, cans, appliances are a |
| steel was recycled. For each ton of recycled steel, | | | | few of the more common steels recycled daily. |
| 630k kilograms of coal, 55kg of limestone, and | | | | Typical automobiles are roughly 66% iron and steel |
| 1,100kg of iron ore is saved. | | | | and appliances are a smaller amount lower at 65% |
| In the past years, about 75% of all produced steel | | | | steel by weight. Recycling the steel usually happens |
| has been recycled. Most industrial steel such as | | | | through the interlaced steel mills and the standard |
| structural plates and beams are recycled 97.5% of | | | | oxygen routine. Most steel is normally electrically |
| the time in 2004 and 2005. For other varieties of | | | | melted by a furnace or for high alloyed products a |
| steel elements like reinforcement bars the recycling | | | | furnace for induction is used. |
| rate is a bit lower at 65%. Due to this high recycle | | | | |