An Account of Iron Production in Forges for the Century from about 1760 to about 1860

Abstract

The author has found, on the basis of the categorization of forges included in the orders for Styria (1748) and for Carinthia (1759), and on the basis of the revision of the concession documents, that there were 21 furnaces working in the area mainly populated by Slovenes during the period from 1700 to 1820; of these, 12 furnaces had been founded even before 1700. In ali 43 forges there were 79 sledge-hammers working and 89 fires of different qualities were used. The production of pig-iron averaged betvveen 1600 and 1840 tons. It doubled before the March Revolution in 1848. About 1840 the majority of the forges had begun to modernize but because of lack of investment money the production gradually fell behind important developments at Hüttenberg in Carinthia and at Eisenerz in Styria.