Steel is made from iron ore or scrap. Iron ore is a compound of iron, oxygen and other minerals. Material for steelmaking is mined and then transformed into steel using two different processes: the blast furnace/basic oxygen furnace route, - like described here, and the electric arc furnace route.

There is allso third way Molten Oxide Electrolysis invented by Boston metals that can turn iron ore to steel directly using electricity. Inert anode is immersed in an electrolyte containing iron ore and then it’s electrified. When the cell heats to 1600C, the electrons split the bonds in the iron ore without need for coal: bostonmetal