Question

The percentage of carbon in wootz steel is _____.

• A. 3.5
• B. 2.5
• C. 1.6
• D. 0.05

Answer 1

The correct option is C 1.6

Wootz Steel is produced by a method known in ancient India. The process involved preparation of porous iron, hammering it while hot to release slag, breaking it up and sealing it with wood chips in a clay container, and heating it until the pieces of iron absorbed carbon from the wood and melted. The steel thus produced had a uniform composition of 1–1.6% carbon and could be heated and forged into bars for later use in fashioning articles, such as the famous medieval Damascus swords.