Iron in Ancient India c10.3

c10.3

It is, however, undoubted that wrought iron and steel were mainly produced in India, and as Lester¹ says, "Cast iron was produced in India only by accident." Cast iron guns were cast in England in 1543 while in India such guns appear to have been cast in the eighteenth century, these being very probably introduced into India from Europe. It has already been pointed out that during the manufacture of cast iron, pure iron takes up carbon at about 1000°-1400°, which temperature was very seldom attained in the Indian furnaces owing to insufficient blast.