Hot-coal pan iron (yundou)
Plancha de brasas (yundou)
- Date
- c. century I · confidence low
- Place
- Henan, China
- Credited to
- Ancient Chinese craftsmen
- Field
- Tools
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A flat-bottomed metal pan with a handle, filled with hot coals and passed over cloth to smooth it. It is known from texts and from archaeological finds of the Han period and later.
Dates for the earliest Chinese specimens are disputed; Viking glass linen smoothers (9th century) and European iron irons are independent. The date is approximate.
What it led to
- ironing of silk and cotton with dry heat
- solid iron irons heated on the fire in Europe
- the electric iron