1. Iron ore is the main raw material for the steel industry. In the late 1970s, the total reserves of iron ore in the world were about 350 billion tons, of which about 150 billion tons of ore reserves (not including China's reserves). Soviet iron ore reserves account for nearly one-third of the world's total reserves, ranking first in the world, followed by Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, and Australia. The sum of iron ore reserves in these five countries accounts for about 90% of the world's total reserves. The iron ore output of the Soviet Union in the 1970s was 1.95 to 246 million tons, accounting for a quarter of the world's total annual production in the same period. It is the largest iron ore producer. The output of iron ore in Australia, Brazil, the United States, China, and Canada accounted for the second to sixth positions in turn. The rich iron ore resources are an important condition for the development of the iron and steel industry. The average iron ore ratio in the world is decreasing. It was higher than 2.00 at the end of the 1950s and about 1.80 at the end of the 1960s. At the end of the 1970s, it fell to about 1.70. The lower the ratio of iron to ore, the less waste stone entering the blast furnace, the lower the amount of slag, the lower the fuel consumption, and the greater the overall economic benefits of ironmaking production. As the proportion of iron-rich mines gradually decreases, it is necessary to do a great deal of work in mineral processing, sintering, pellets, etc. to reduce the ratio of iron to ore, and continuously improve the ironmaking production technology. In the major iron-producing countries in the 1970s, Japan had the lowest ratio of iron ore, ranging from 1.42 to 1.47; followed by the Federal Republic of Germany, from 1.42 to 1.59; and France, the highest, from 2.00 to 2.64.
2. Coke is the fuel for the steel industry.
3. Iron and steel industry auxiliary raw material resources. In addition to the large amount of iron ore and coke as the main raw materials, the iron and steel industry still needs auxiliary materials such as manganese ore, limestone, dolomite, fluorite, silica, and refractories. According to relevant statistics, an average of 1.6 tons of auxiliary materials is required for refining one ton of iron. Manganese ore is called ferrous metal resource. It is a ferroalloy raw material. It can increase the hardness, ductility, toughness, and wear resistance of steel, and it is also a deoxidation desulfurizer for blast furnaces.
