Ferrous

Ferrous metals include mild steel, carbon steel, stainless steel, cast iron, and wrought iron. These metals are primarily used for their tensile strength and durability, especially mild steel which helps hold up the tallest skyscrapers and the longest bridges in the world. You can also find ferrous materials in housing, construction, industrial facilities, plumbing, automobiles, railroad rails, transportation, and most tools and hardware you use around the house.

Due to the high amounts of carbon used when creating ferrous metals, they are vulnerable to rust when exposed to the elements. While this isn’t true of wrought iron, which is so iron pure that it resists oxidization, or stainless steel, which is protected thanks to its high chromium content, it’s a good rule of thumb that if you see rust, it is a ferrous metal.

Most ferrous metals also have magnetic properties, which makes them very useful in the creation of large motors and electrical appliances. That’s the reason you can tack your child’s artwork to the refrigerator with a magnet. But most importantly, ferrous metals make up the most recycled materials in the world.