Data Overview: Steel in the Construction Sector
April 23, 2026 | Reading time: 4 minutes
Steel is one of the most recycled materials in the world—and continues to set records as a building material. A look at some surprising statistics. And at a medieval hardening method that still fascinates scientists today.
Did you know that …
… lard hardens iron into steel?
Scientists at the University of Tartu (Estonia) tested a historical method of steel production. A Benedictine monk named Theophilus had hardened iron with lard in the 12th century. The researchers therefore coated iron plates with the lard, wrapped them in wild boar skin and leather straps, and heated them. Metallographic result: The carbon from the fat and the skin had penetrated deep into the iron.
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