Community Update

Santa Claus is coming to town. And we all know what that means—he’s making a list and checking it twice; he’s going to find out who’s naughty or nice. For all those who land in the naughty column, Christmas stories tell us that Santa might give them a lump of coal in their stocking.

But did you know you could you be receiving stocking stuffers made using coal even if you’re on the nice list?

That’s because steelmaking coal, also referred to as metallurgical or coking coal, is an essential ingredient in the production of steel. Unlike its thermal counterpart, which is used for power generation, metallurgical coal is transformed into coke, the carbon source used to produce metals that we rely on every day.

To make steel, steelmaking coal is first brought to a high temperature in an oxygen-less oven that drives off its impurities and produces coke, a pure form of carbon. The coke is then combined with iron ore, limestone and other ingredients and put in a blast furnace to produce steel.

Global demand for steel is quickly growing – the product is strong, durable, dependable and 100% recyclable meaning it is the ideal and fundamental material to produce many things we use in our everyday lives including cell phones, bicycles and kitchen appliances. Steel also plays a critical role in green energy production: wind turbines, solar panels, tidal power systems and bio-energy infrastructure all require steel.

And in 2020 we definitely can’t ignore the important role that steel plays in the safety and cleanliness of hospital and healthcare facilities dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to its unique properties, stainless steel is easy to clean, non-porous and corrosion resistant, even when repeatedly sanitized with harsh chemicals.

So if you still have some holiday shopping or stockings to stuff this year, check out our list of steel stocking stuffer gifts for the people on your nice list!