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Scrap-based electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking has much lower reported emissions and energy use per tonne than the conventional blast furnace–basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) route. But “EAF” also includes direct-reduced-iron (DRI) routes, which have higher reported emissions and energy use than scrap-EAF. The available figures do not establish a generic cost winner or prove that either furnace type produces more steel per furnace.
What is being compared?
A blast furnace is usually part of an integrated BF-BOF route: iron ore and metallurgical coal are used to make hot metal in the blast furnace, then a basic oxygen furnace refines it into steel. An EAF melts metallic inputs using electricity. Those inputs can be mostly recycled steel scrap, or can include DRI made from iron ore, hot metal, or a mixture.
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That distinction matters: comparing BF-BOF with “EAF” as though all EAF steel were made from scrap hides meaningful differences in feedstock, upstream processing, emissions, and energy use.
Representative inputs per 1,000 kg of crude steel
World Steel Association (worldsteel) figures illustrate the different routes; they are representative input quantities, not a recipe for every plant. worldsteel’s raw-materials overview notes that EAF routes may also use DRI or hot metal as well as recycled steel.
| Route | Representative inputs |
|---|---|
| BF-BOF | 1,370 kg iron ore; 780 kg metallurgical coal; 270 kg limestone; 125 kg recycled steel |
| Recycled-steel EAF | 710 kg recycled steel; 586 kg iron ore; 150 kg coal; 88 kg limestone; 2.3 GJ electricity |
| DRI-EAF | Iron ore is reduced in a direct-reduction furnace, commonly using natural gas; the DRI is then refined in an EAF, often with scrap. A comparable per-tonne input list is not stated in the cited overview. |
How do emissions and energy use compare?
In worldsteel’s 2024 Sustainability Indicators report, the 2023 route averages show scrap-EAF with substantially lower CO₂ and energy intensity than BF-BOF. DRI-EAF sits between them for both measures.
| Steelmaking route | CO₂ per tonne of crude steel cast (2023) | Energy per tonne of crude steel cast (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| BF-BOF | 2.32 tonnes CO₂ | 24.20 GJ |
| Scrap-EAF | 0.70 tonnes CO₂ | 10.24 GJ |
| DRI-EAF | 1.43 tonnes CO₂ | 23.13 GJ |
These are global route averages under worldsteel’s methodology, not guaranteed results for an individual mill. The report includes DRI-based EAF in its global average from 2021; because global crude-steel production using DRI is not currently collected, its DRI production denominator is estimated. See worldsteel’s 2024 Sustainability Indicators report for the route data and methodology.
Rank #2
Why feedstock and electricity change the result
Much of the emissions difference between ore-based and scrap-based steelmaking is associated with producing iron from ore. Scrap-EAF avoids much of that ironmaking stage, but its footprint is not fixed: the metallic charge and the electricity supply affect the result. DRI-EAF still includes ore reduction, so its emissions and energy use should not be represented by the scrap-EAF figures.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe U.S. Department of Energy characterizes making steel by remelting scrap in an EAF as using less than half the energy required to produce steel from iron ore via BF-BOF. That is a separate DOE characterization; the route-specific figures above are worldsteel’s 2023 averages. See DOE’s Iron and Steel Manufacturing overview.
Keep sector-wide emissions figures separate
For broader context, worldsteel reports that the sector produced 1,886 million tonnes of steel in 2024 and averaged 2.18 tonnes CO₂e per tonne across scopes 1, 2, and 3. It estimates total sector emissions at about 4.1 billion tonnes CO₂e, with 75% from direct emissions. These 2024 sector-wide CO₂e figures have a different year and boundary from the 2023 route-specific CO₂ intensities in the table; they should not be treated as directly interchangeable. Details appear on worldsteel’s climate and iron-and-steel production page.
Which route costs less?
The evidence here does not establish a defensible, generic capital or total-production-cost winner between conventional BF-BOF and scrap-EAF. Lower energy use per tonne does not by itself prove lower cost: electricity, coal, scrap, ore, labor, financing, and plant utilization all affect the economics. Worldsteel also notes that electricity is priced locally while coal is globally traded, so regional electricity costs matter to steelmaking competitiveness.
Rank #4
A narrower estimate is available for a different route: the International Energy Agency estimates that early commercial plants using 100% hydrogen blends in H₂-DRI-EAF could cost 50–140% more than BF-BOF plants today, depending on region. This range concerns hydrogen-based DRI-EAF—not conventional scrap-EAF—and is not a universal cost premium. See the IEA’s 2025 Breakthrough Agenda Report: Steel.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteA like-for-like cost comparison would need to specify the geography and year, new-build or retrofit boundary, product and quality, metallic charge, utilization, local input and energy prices, carbon costs or subsidies, labor, and financing assumptions. Without those, a single cost figure would imply a level of comparability the evidence does not support.
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Which route produces more steel?
“Output” can mean global production share, a plant’s annual capacity, the size of a furnace’s heat, or productivity per hour. The available figures answer the first question, not the latter three.
Global and U.S. production shares
Worldsteel’s route overview assigns roughly 70% of global steel production to BF-BOF and 30% to EAF. Those are approximate shares of production, not output or capacity per furnace. In the United States, DOE reports about 80 million tonnes of steel produced annually and says 70% of domestic steel is made in EAFs; that U.S.-specific share should not be generalized to the world. See worldsteel’s route overview and DOE’s U.S. manufacturing overview.
No comparable per-furnace capacity, annual plant output, or productivity-per-hour ranking is established by these sources. Global prevalence cannot tell a reader which individual furnace is larger or more productive.
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Quick Recap
How to use the comparison
- For emissions: compare complete routes and keep the year, CO₂ versus CO₂e measure, and reporting boundary attached to each figure.
- For energy: distinguish total energy intensity from electricity use and from monetary operating cost.
- For cost: define region, feedstock, plant assumptions, and input prices before comparing totals.
- For output: specify whether you mean production share, plant capacity, furnace heat size, or hourly productivity.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
