Cast iron in Europe
Hierro colado en Europa
- Date
- c. 1380 · confidence medium
- Place
- Meuse Valley (Liège, Namur)
- Credited to
- Walloon founders
- Field
- Matter & energy
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Systematic use of liquid pig iron from the blast furnace to cast objects in moulds: cannonballs, cooking pots, fireplace plates. It introduced to Europe a material China had mastered for nearly two millennia.
Chinese cast iron dates from the 5th century BCE; the European appearance is considered a late development, perhaps with indirect stimulus.
What it led to
- cheap iron artillery as an alternative to bronze
- affordable metal household utensils
- the indirect process (pig iron plus refining) that characterises modern ironmaking
Built on
- European blast furnacec. 1200
- European blast furnace
Made possible
- Cannonc. 1288
- Cannon
- iron cannonball