For the production of hydrogen, the calcined ore is first reduced at 700-1000ºC by use of water gas or producer gas. Steam is then passed over it. The ore gets oxidised and the hydrogen is liberated from the steam.

Iron (Fe) is a metallic element and composes about 5% of the Earth's crust. When pure it is a dark, silvery-gray metal. It is a very reactive element and oxidizes (rusts) very easily. The reds, oranges and yellows seen in some soils and on rocks are probably iron oxides. .

Iron is one of the three naturally magnetic elements; the others are cobalt and nickel. Iron is the most magnetic of the three. The mineral magnetite (Fe3O4) is a naturally occurring metallic mineral that is occasionally found in sufficient quantities to be an ore of iron. ..

Iron is essential to animal life and necessary for the health of plants. The human body is 0.006% iron, the majority of which is in the blood. Blood cells rich in iron carry oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body. Lack of iron also lowers a person's resistance to infection.

Iron ore is the raw material used to make pig iron, which is one of the main raw materials to make steel. Due to the lower cost of foreign-made steel and steel products, the steel industry in the United States has had difficult economic times in recent years as more and more steel is imported. Canada provides about half of the U.S. imports, Brazil about 30%, and lesser amounts from Venezuela and Australia. 99% of steel exported from the USA was sent to Canada.

, Almost all of the iron ore that is mined is used for making steel. . Raw iron by itself is not as strong and hard as needed for construction and other purposes. So, the raw iron is alloyed with a variety of elements (such as tungsten, manganese, nickel, vanadium, chromium) to strengthen and harden it, making useful steel for construction, automobiles, and other forms of transportation such as trucks, trains and train tracks. . .

Though there is no substitute for iron, iron ores are not the only materials from which iron and steel products are made. Very little scrap iron is recycled, but large quantities of scrap steel are recycled. Steel's overall recycling rate of more than 67% is far higher than that of any other recycled material, capturing more than 1-1/4 times as much tonnage as all other materials combined.

Iron and steel face continual competition with lighter materials in the motor vehicle industry; from aluminum, concrete, and wood in construction uses; and from aluminum, glass, paper, and plastics for containers. .

Micaceous iron ore is generally soft and unctuous. It is used in the manufacture of welding rods (electrodes). It is also used as a coating material in the preparation of welding rods. Bog iron ore is used as purifying and desulphurising material of producer gas and municipal gases. The ore is filled in purifying tank through which gases are passed and purified. Magnetite is used for the preparation of heavy media in coal-washing plants. It has got distinct advantage over sand as magnetite particles adhering to coal can easily be separated by teh magnetic separator.
In Pakistan the province of Baluchistan is considered to be basic mining area for iron ore with large deposits found in the mountaneous regions of Noshki,Dalbandin,Chaghai etc where statistics indicates presence of iron ore of fine quality approved by steel industry.