Furnace Slag

Also called: Furnace Waste, Slag

Furnace Slag
Furnace Slag

Furnace slag is the waste left over from working iron, either smelting ore into metal or smithing (shaping the metal). The metal was taken away, but the slag was usually left where the work happened. That makes it good evidence for where metalworking took place.

  • What it shows about technique: analysing slag can show which ores were used and how the process ran, including furnace temperatures and the gas conditions inside.
  • What it shows about people: archaeologists use it to rebuild how metalworking was organised, for example whether it was done by specialists and on what scale.

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