HKDSE Geography/M3/China's Iron and Steel Industry Before the 1950s

Characteristics
The iron and steel industry is a weight-losing processing industry. The procurement costs are higher than the distribution costs. To be exact, it is:


 * Raw material-oriented: Iron ore was used to produce pig iron in a blast furnace, which would then be converted into steel in a steel furnace.
 * Power-oriented: Coal was burnt in large amounts to produce energy for the production of iron and steel.

Therefore, China's iron and steel plants tended to be located near these plants.

Distribution

 * In the Northeast, particularly Anshan
 * In the eastern coastal cities, particularly Shanghai