Innovation in the British iron industry in the 17th and 18th centuries.

This article provides a summary of the technological advances in the British iron industry. The major changes were the transition from the use of charcoal as fuel to mineral coal (or coke), first in blast furnace producing pig iron and then in producing (malleable) bar iron. Allied to this is the application of the reverberatory (or air) furnace first to foundry work and then to fining iron, ultimately in puddling furnaces. The ability to abandon charcoal as fuel in both sectors released the great expansion in iron production of the industrial revolution. Article History Received 27 September 2023; Accepted 20 December 2023 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]