Creating Iron | HowStuffWorks
At this point, the liquid iron typically flows through a channel and into a bed of sand. Once it cools, this metal is known as pig iron. To create a ton of pig iron, you start with 2 tons (1.8 metric tons) of ore, 1 ton of coke (0.9 metric tons) and a half ton (0.45 metric tons) of limestone. The fire consumes 5 tons (4.5 metric tons) of air ...