arrabio

Arrabio is a term used in Iberian metallurgy to denote pig iron, the crude iron produced directly from iron ore in a blast furnace. The word appears in historical and technical texts and remains part of some modern Iberian-language usage, though in many contexts it is synonymous with pig iron or crude iron.

Production and composition: Arrabio is produced by reducing iron ore with their carbon source, typically coke, in a blast furnace, with limestone as a flux. The molten iron is then cast into ingots or blocks, historically referred to as pigs. The resulting pig iron usually contains about 3.5 to 4.5 percent carbon, along with silicon, manganese, sulfur, and phosphorus, which make it brittle and unsuitable for most structural uses without further refining.

Uses and processing: As a primary feedstock for steelmaking, arrabio is refined to remove excess carbon and impurities through processes such as decarburization or alloying, producing steel or cast iron products. In historical contexts, arrabio could also be used directly for certain castings, but modern terminology typically reserves the term for crude iron prior to refining.

Historical context: References to arrabio appear in medieval and early modern Iberian metallurgy to describe the crude iron obtained from furnaces. With the standardization of terminology in modern industry, the term is less common outside historical or regional texts, where it remains a regional synonym for pig iron.

See also: Pig iron, Blast furnace, Steelmaking.