Making iron
Facts checked 1 Nov 2026
Iron Oxide is iron with oxygen locked into it. Carbon Monoxide pulls that oxygen out, leaving iron, the heart of the steel you'll make next.
The recipe
The process is called Iron Oxide Direct Reduction. For every 232 kg of Iron Oxide and 112 kg of Carbon Monoxide, it makes 168 kg of Iron and 176 kg of Carbon Dioxide. Choose Iron as the primary output.
- In: About 755 tonnes of Iron Oxide, from your rounds of leaching, and 365 tonnes of Carbon Monoxide, from your oxygen and carbon monoxide job.
- Out: About 547 tonnes of Iron, plus about 360 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide.
- Time: About two hours for the lot.
Make your iron
- On an Academy refinery, click Refine Materials and choose Iron Oxide Direct Reduction, with your crew's warehouse for the inputs and outputs.
- Make sure Iron is the primary output.
- Set the amount, check the time, click Lease & Begin, and approve.
- When it's done, click Finish.
You can do this in one job at the end, or in smaller jobs as your Iron Oxide comes in. One job is a little quicker overall; smaller ones keep your refineries busy while the acid loop runs.