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iron and steel industry.
265
The bulk of this wrought iron was exported in the form of bars, in order
to be refined abroad into steel and manufactured into finer articles. But
in the latter half of that century the iron industry in Sweden, as in other
countries, went forward with enormous strides. A number of
improvements were introduced in the manufacture of pig iron, as also in the
making of wrought iron. Moreover entirely new fining methods, such
as the Bessemer and the Martin processes, came into use, and gave a
vigorous push forward to the development of the iron industry.
It is true that the soft basic ingot metal used abroad has proved a
rather awkward competitor to Swedish wrought iron. On the other hand,
the production and manufacture of the excellent Swedish ingot metal (steel)
has gone ahead with gigantic strides. This is sufficiently attested by the
exhibitions in Sweden and abroad in which Swedish iron works have
participated, works such as Avesta, Bofors, Degerfors, Domnarfvet,
Fagersta, Finspång, Forsbacka, Hagfors, Hofors, Iggesund, Kolsva,
Munkfors, Sandviken, Storfors, Söderfors, Vikmanshyttan, Österby, and so
forth.
However, the Swedish iron industry has gone forward still more rapidly
during recent years. Thus, in 1913 the output of pig iron was
232 000 tons, that is 46 %, greater than in 1899. Furthermore, the
ingress of the twentieth century has been remarkable for a number of
fresh suggestions, the concentration and briquetting of iron ore, iron ore
smelting by electricity, the making of spongy iron, steel smelting by
electricity, the manufacture of alloys. It is also marked by the use
of coke as sole fuel in certain blast furnaces, by enlargements of the
ironworks and modern improvements, particularly as to arrangements
for the further treatment of the iron.
In the sequel a more detailed account of the progress made will be
given in connection with the various processes of manufacture.
Before we pass over to this account, we must, however, first set forth
a few figures relating to the import and export of iron, and then touch
upon a question which, as indicated above, has been of vital consequence
for the Swedish iron industry, the question of fuel.
Export. According to commercial statistics, the value of iron and
steel exported, in an unwrought or only partially wrought state, was as
follows:
Table 47. Export of Iron and Steel (univrouglit or half-ivrought).
Annually Million kronor
1871-75 ..... 43-20
1876-80 ..... 32-35
1881-85 ..... 38-89
1886-90 ..... 33-88
1891—95 ..........29-97
1896—00 ..........39-08
1901—05 ..........38-54
1906—10 ..........47-71
191 1....... 54-78
1912 ....... 40 35
191 3....... 41-20
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