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