• Skip to main content

    Product

    November 23, 2025

    Barrington: The history of modern direct reduction

    Written by Chris Barrington

    One might be forgiven for thinking of direct-reduced iron (DRI) as an invention of green steel and the transition to carbon-neutral steelmaking. Not so!

    Reduction of iron ore dates back thousands of years with the charcoal-based Bloomery furnace, which reduced iron ore in the solid state to sponge-like iron blooms, in effect a form of direct reduction (DR). Attempts to develop gas- or coal-based solid state reduction processes in the 18th and 19th centuries could not compete with scale and efficiency of blast furnaces.

    Chris Barrington

    Chris Barrington, an Industrial Chemist by education, has more than 50 years' experience in the international natural resources field, including 17 years in the global iron ore industry and 16 years in the industrial minerals sector. He purchased iron ore for British Steel Corp. and marketed Brazilian and Australian iron ore for Utah International (Samarco, Mt. Goldsworthy) and Swedish iron ore for LKAB. He was Managing Director of Fergusson Wild & Co. Ltd., a processor and distributor of industrial raw materials, subsequent to which he established his own minerals distribution business (sold in 2007 to the Prince Minerals group). He was manager of the REACH consortia for the iron and boron industries. He established the Zircon Industry Association and was its Executive Director until end 2016. He provided the Secretariat for the International Pig Iron Association and until end 2024 served as Chief Advisor to its successor, the International Iron Metallics Association where he was also interim Secretary General for four years.

    Read more from Chris Barrington

    Latest in Product

    Drilling activity holds in the US, moves higher in Canada

    The latest tally of active drilling rigs held steady in the US for a fourth straight week, while activity rose further in Canada this week, according to oil and gas rig count data published by Baker Hughes. The US rig count remained unchanged at 603 rigs this week, maintaining a 17-month high. Compared with this time last year, 57 more rigs are in operation today. Canada’s count rose by six to 226 rigs this week, gaining ground for a second consecutive week. Activity is up from the same week of 2025, with 39 more rigs operating today.

    HR Futures: Basic story remains, but curve shifts

    In my last column, the HRC futures curve was pricing a sizable premium on near-term tightness while still pointing toward eventual normalization. Since then, that basic story has remained intact, but the shape of the curve has shifted meaningfully. Rather than simply moving higher and pushing the peak out by another month, as has largely been the pattern throughout this rally, the curve is now pricing a more pronounced and prolonged period of tightness, while the long end has remained relatively anchored, which previously had also been lifted with the rest of the curve.

    galvalume steel coil

    SMU Survey: Mill willingness to negotiate price at lowest levels since 2021

    The majority of steel buyers responding to our latest market survey reported that mills continue to hold a firm grip on prices. The share of buyers reporting that mills were negotiable fell this week to the lowest rate seen in over five years. Every two weeks, SMU surveys service center and manufacturer buyers asking if mills are negotiable on new spot sheet and plate orders. In this week’s survey, just 3% of respondents said mills were willing to talk price to secure an order (Figure 1). This is down 11 percentage points from our mid-October survey.

    SMU flat-rolled market survey results now available

    The results of the latest Steel Market Update (SMU) flat-rolled market survey are now available on our website to all premium members. After logging in, look under the Data tab for Market Reports, and there you will find the Flat-Rolled Survey Results section. Previous survey results are also available on that page. If you need help accessing these results, or if your company would like to have your voice heard in our future surveys, contact smu@crugroup.com.