Steel is an alloy of iron commonly used for weaponry. The metal could be toughened through the process of tempering, which Dwarves were noted to excel at.[1]
The Red Arrow was barbed with steel.[2] The Witch-king bore a crown of steel at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.[3] The Dwarves of the Glittering Caves forged new gates for Minas Tirith out of mithril and steel.[4]
Portrayal in adaptations
1994: Middle-earth Role Playing—Treasures of Middle-earth
- Steel, also called Borang (S. “Steadfast-iron”), has its composition explained in this book. It is an alloy with morasarn (carbon) and a small amount of one or more odd metals. The mírdain are noted find it an ugly and flawed material, but make much use of it nonetheless.[5]
2007: The Lord of the Rings Online:
- Expert prospectors can forge steel ingots using iron ingots and lumps of coal.[6]
References
- ↑ S QS.10.010Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", "Of the Sindar", Paragraph 10
- ↑ LR 5.03.058Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Lord of the Rings, "The Return of the King", "The Muster of Rohan", Paragraph 58
- ↑ LR 5.06.007Digital Tolkien Project Citation Systems, The Lord of the Rings, "The Return of the King", "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields", Paragraph 7
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "Durin's Folk"
- ↑ Wolfgang Baur (1994), Treasures of Middle-earth (2nd edition) (#2010), p. 186
- ↑ "Item:High-grade Steel Ingot". The Lord of the Rings Online Wiki. Retrieved 25 November 2025