This material is part of the free Environmental Performance in Construction (EPiC) Database. The EPiC Database contains embodied environmental flow coefficients for 250+ construction materials using a comprehensive hybrid life cycle inventory approach.
Steel is a ferrous metal and is an alloy of iron and carbon, as well as potential other elements. It has a very high tensile strength. Steel has been used in the construction industry for over a century.
The core material for making steel is iron, which is found in iron ore. Iron is extracted from iron ore in blast furnaces through the smelting process, while controlling for the content of carbon. The molten steel is usually further processed before being extruded into circular pipes.
Steel pipes are often used in pile foundations, plumbing and as columns (usually filled with concrete).