At its core, ornamental steel incorporates elements of design that elevate the functional aspects of steel to an art form. This includes intricate railings, decorative gates, stunning balconies, and detailed sculptures. The unique properties of steel—such as its strength, flexibility, and resistance to weathering—make it an ideal medium for artisans and designers who seek to infuse their creations with both beauty and durability.
Still, iron was the first material to let people build truly tall buildings. The Eiffel Tower, for instance, is actually built out of wrought iron. Wrought iron is strong, but also inconsistent and prone to flaws that are impossible to detect until a particular piece fails catastrophically. This is something that happened regularly throughout the nineteenth century, causing factories to collapse on the heads of the workers below and trains to derail or fall into rivers when the bridges they crossed collapsed. Steel, in comparison, is much more consistent, and as soon as people figured out how to make it in large quantities they began using it for everything. In fact, when people say “wrought iron” in reference to fencing, what they are probably referring to is steel fencing that looks like wrought iron. The confusion might also come from the fact that steel is really just iron worked at higher temperatures to ensure an even distribution of carbon.