Metal vs. Iron — What's the Difference?

Metals are characterized by their malleability and ductility.

A chemical element with the symbol Fe, used primarily in steelmaking.

Elements that conduct electricity and heat, with a wide range of applications.

Historical significance due to its use in tools and weaponry during the Iron Age.

Can be pure or form alloys with other elements for varied properties.

Known for its magnetic properties, making it useful in electronics and motors.

Essential in industries like aerospace, construction, and electronics.

Its abundance makes it a cornerstone of the construction industry.

The extraction and processing of metals are crucial to the global economy.

Iron's properties can be enhanced by forming alloys like steel.

A metal (from Greek μέταλλον métallon, "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typically malleable (they can be hammered into thin sheets) or ductile (can be drawn into wires).

Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from Latin: ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table.

A solid material which is typically hard, shiny, malleable, fusible, and ductile, with good electrical and thermal conductivity (e.g. iron, gold, silver, and aluminium, and alloys such as steel)

Symbol Fe A silvery-white, lustrous, malleable, ductile, magnetic or magnetizable, metallic element occurring abundantly in combined forms, notably in hematite, limonite, magnetite, and taconite, and used alloyed in a wide range of important structural materials. Atomic number 26; atomic weight 55.845; melting point 1,538°C; boiling point 2,861°C; specific gravity 7.874 (at 20°C); valence 2, 3, 4, 6. See Periodic Table.

Broken stone for use in making roads

An implement made of iron alloy or similar metal, especially a bar heated for use in branding, curling hair, or cauterizing.

Molten glass before it is blown or cast.

Great hardness or strength; firmness

Heavy metal or similar rock music

(Sports) Any of a series of golf clubs having a bladelike metal head and numbered from one to nine in order of increasing loft.

Made from or coated with metal

A metal appliance with a handle and a weighted flat bottom, used when heated to press wrinkles from fabric.

Make or mend (a road) with road metal

A harpoon.

Any of a category of electropositive elements that usually have a shiny surface, are generally good conductors of heat and electricity, and can be melted or fused, hammered into thin sheets, or drawn into wires. Typical metals form salts with nonmetals, basic oxides with oxygen, and alloys with one another.

Irons Fetters; shackles.

An alloy of two or more metallic elements.

A tonic, pill, or other medication containing iron and taken as a dietary supplement.

An object made of metal.

Made of or containing iron

Basic character; mettle.

Strong, healthy, and capable of great endurance

Broken stones used for road surfaces or railroad beds.

Inflexible; unyielding

Molten glass, especially when used in glassmaking.

Holding tightly; very firm

Molten cast iron.

To press and smooth with a heated iron

(Printing) Type made of metal.

To remove (creases) by pressing.

(Music) Heavy metal.

To put into irons; fetter.

To cover or surface (a roadbed, for example) with broken stones.

To fit or clad with iron.

(heading) Chemical elements or alloys, and the mines where their ores come from.

To iron clothes.

Any of a number of chemical elements in the periodic table that form a metallic bond with other metal atoms; generally shiny, somewhat malleable and hard, often a conductor of heat and electricity.

(uncountable) A common, inexpensive metal, silvery grey when untarnished, that rusts, is attracted by magnets, and is used in making steel.

Any material with similar physical properties, such as an alloy.

A metallic chemical element having atomic number 26 and symbol Fe.

(astronomy) An element which was not directly created after the Big Bang but instead formed through nuclear reactions; any element other than hydrogen and helium.

Any material, not a steel, predominantly made of elemental iron.

Crushed rock, stones etc. used to make a road.

(countable) A tool or appliance made of metal, which is heated and then used to transfer heat to something else; most often a thick piece of metal fitted with a handle and having a flat, roughly triangular bottom, which is heated and used to press wrinkles from clothing, and now usually containing an electrical heating apparatus.

(mining) The ore from which a metal is derived.

(usually plural, irons) shackles.

(obsolete) A mine from which ores are taken.

(slang) A firearm, either a long gun or a handgun.

(tincture) A light tincture used in a coat of arms, specifically argent (white or silver) and or (gold).

(uncountable) A dark shade of the color silver.

Molten glass that is to be blown or moulded to form objects.

(golf) A golf club used for middle-distance shots.

The substance that constitutes something or someone; matter; hence, character or temper.

Used as a symbol of great strength or toughness, or to signify a very strong or tough material.

The effective power or calibre of guns carried by a vessel of war.

(weightlifting) Weight used as resistance for the purpose of strength training.

The rails of a railway.

A meteorite consisting primarily of metallic iron (mixed with a small amount of nickel), as opposed to one composed mainly of stony material.

The actual airline operating a flight, rather than any of the codeshare operators.

A safety curtain in a theatre.

(music) Characterized by strong drum-beats and distorted guitars.

Dumb bombs, those without guidance systems.

Having the emotional or social characteristics associated with metal music; brash, bold, frank, unyielding, etc.

(not comparable) Made of the metal iron.

To make a road using crushed rock, stones etc.

(figuratively) Strong as of will, inflexible.

An elementary substance, as sodium, calcium, or copper, whose oxide or hydroxide has basic rather than acid properties, as contrasted with the nonmetals, or metalloids. No sharp line can be drawn between the metals and nonmetals, and certain elements partake of both acid and basic qualities, as chromium, manganese, bismuth, etc.

(transitive) To pass an iron over (clothing or some other item made of cloth) in order to remove creases.

Ore from which a metal is derived; - so called by miners.

To shackle with irons; to fetter or handcuff.

A mine from which ores are taken.

(transitive) To furnish or arm with iron.

The substance of which anything is made; material; hence, constitutional disposition; character; temper.

The most common and most useful metallic element, being of almost universal occurrence, usually in the form of an oxide (as hematite, magnetite, etc.), or a hydrous oxide (as limonite, turgite, etc.). It is reduced on an enormous scale in three principal forms; viz., cast iron, steel, and wrought iron. Iron usually appears dark brown, from oxidation or impurity, but when pure, or on a fresh surface, is a gray or white metal. It is easily oxidized (rusted) by moisture, and is attacked by many corrosive agents. Symbol Fe (Latin Ferrum). Atomic number 26, atomic weight 55.847. Specific gravity, pure iron, 7.86; cast iron, 7.1. In magnetic properties, it is superior to all other substances.

Courage; spirit; mettle. See Mettle.

An instrument or utensil made of iron; - chiefly in composition; as, a flatiron, a smoothing iron, etc.

The broken stone used in macadamizing roads and ballasting railroads.

Fetters; chains; handcuffs; manacles.

The effective power or caliber of guns carried by a vessel of war.

Strength; power; firmness; inflexibility; as, to rule with a rod of iron.

Glass in a state of fusion.

An iron-headed club with a deep face, chiefly used in making approaches, lifting a ball over hazards, etc.

The rails of a railroad.

Of, or made of iron; consisting of iron; as, an iron bar, dust.

To cover with metal; as, to metal a ship's bottom; to metal a road.

Resembling iron in color; as, iron blackness.

Any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.

Like iron in hardness, strength, impenetrability, power of endurance, insensibility, etc.;

A mixture containing two or more metallic elements or metallic and nonmetallic elements usually fused together or dissolving into each other when molten;

Rude; hard; harsh; severe.

Cover with metal

Firm; robust; enduring; as, an iron constitution.

Containing or made of or resembling or characteristic of a metal;

Inflexible; unrelenting; as, an iron will.

Not to be broken; holding or binding fast; tenacious.

To smooth with an instrument of iron; especially, to smooth, as cloth, with a heated flatiron; - sometimes used with out.

To shackle with irons; to fetter or handcuff.

To furnish or arm with iron; as, to iron a wagon.

A golf club that has a relatively narrow metal head

Metal shackles; for hands or legs

Implement used to brand live stock

Home appliance consisting of a flat metal base that is heated and used to smooth cloth

Press and smooth with a heated iron;

Extremely robust;

Yes, metals can be liquid at high temperatures. Mercury is a metal that is liquid at room temperature.

Steel, an alloy of iron, is stronger due to its carbon content and other alloying elements, which alter its crystal structure and improve its mechanical properties.

Most metals have a shiny appearance when freshly cut or polished, but they can tarnish or oxidize over time, losing their luster.

Iron's magnetic properties are due to its electron configuration, which allows its atoms to align in a way that produces a magnetic field.

While most metals are good conductors, their conductivity varies. Silver and copper are among the best, while others like stainless steel are less effective.

Yes, iron can rust when exposed to oxygen and moisture, forming iron oxide. This process can be prevented through coatings or by alloying iron with other elements.

Iron can be found in its pure form in meteorites, but it's most commonly found as iron ore in the Earth's crust, combined with other elements.

Metals are recycled by melting scrap metal at high temperatures and then reforming it into new products, reducing the need for new raw materials.

Metals are used in electronics for their ability to conduct electricity, making them essential for components like wires, connectors, and circuit boards.

Gold is highly valued due to its rarity and properties, but other metals like platinum and rhodium can be more valuable depending on market conditions.

Some metals, like gold, platinum, and stainless steel, are highly resistant to corrosion and rust due to their chemical properties or protective oxide layers.

Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust, although it's never found in its pure form naturally due to its reactivity.

Rare earth metals are used in high-tech applications, including smartphones, electric vehicles, and renewable energy technologies, due to their unique magnetic and conductive properties.

Iron is extracted from ore through processes like smelting, which involves heating the ore in a blast furnace with coke and limestone to separate the iron.

Iron, often in the form of steel alloys, is used in spacecraft and satellites for structural components due to its strength and durability.