Name two of the most common steel furnaces used in steelmaking.

• A. Open hearth furnace and reverberatory furnace
• B. Cupola furnace and reverberatory furnace
• C. Basic Oxygen Steel-Making Furnace and Electric Arc Furnace
• D. Induction furnace and cupola furnace

Answer: (C)

Two of the most common steel furnaces used in steelmaking are the Basic Oxygen Furnace and the Electric Arc Furnace. The Basic Oxygen Furnace rapidly converts molten pig iron into steel by blowing pure oxygen through the melt, delivering very high production rates and tight control of carbon and alloy content. The Electric Arc Furnace melts scrap steel (and sometimes direct reduced iron) using electric arcs, offering flexibility, lower emissions in many setups, and suitability for recycled feedstock or smaller-scale production. Together, these two cover the majority of modern steelmaking: the BOS for large, integrated mills and the EAF for recycled-scrap or mini-mill operations.

Older or more specialized furnaces don’t fit as the main production methods. Open hearth and reverberatory furnaces are slower and less energy-efficient for today’s steelmaking. The cupola is primarily used to melt iron for casting in foundries, not to produce steel. Induction furnaces appear in some smaller or specialty operations but aren’t the dominant method for large-scale primary steelmaking.