What is steel?

Steel is like a super strong version of your favorite building block, iron, that’s been made even tougher by adding some friends.

Imagine you have a piece of iron, and it's kind of like a soft clay. If you leave it alone, it can bend easily. But if you give it a little kick with carbon, it becomes much harder, like turning a squishy marshmallow into a tough rubber ball.

People take iron and mix it with carbon in a special oven called a furnace. They heat it up really high, almost like baking cookies, and then let it cool down slowly. This process makes the iron stronger and more useful, just like how you get tougher after playing outside all day!

Steel is used to build things like bridges, cars, and even your school! It's strong enough to hold up big buildings but still flexible enough to bend without breaking. Steel is like a super strong version of your favorite building block, iron, that’s been made even tougher by adding some friends.