Coke – a component of great steel

Ore, sinter, coke, concentrate, billets, pig iron and rolled products — these words are heard every day at the production sites of ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih. Yet for many people, they remain specialist terminology. We explain what each of them means and the role they play in the creation of metal. So, let us talk about coke.

Coke is a strong, porous material obtained from hard coal by heating it in the absence of air. At ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, it is produced at one of the largest coke-making facilities in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, where coke-oven batteries equipped with production-process control and gas-cleaning systems operate.

Interesting fact: a coke-oven battery can be more than 200 metres long — almost the length of two football pitches. It is in its chambers that coal is converted into coke, without which the production of pig iron and steel is impossible. 

Coke is called the “energy foundation” and the “skeleton” of the blast furnace because it withstands the enormous pressure of the burden and enables hot gases to circulate inside the furnace. It is indispensable for smelting pig iron in a blast furnace, as it provides the high temperatures required and helps convert iron ore into metal. Moreover, one tonne of coal yields not only coke during the coking process, but also valuable chemical products for industry.

Read interesting facts about other products and our steel around the world on the Metalurg newspaper website.