Indian Wootz Steel Smelting

Timeline

1. c. 900–950Deccan Plateau · Deccan PlateauSouthern Indian artisans smelted iron ore and charcoal in sealed clay crucibles, obtaining high-carbon steel ingots after several days of slow cooling; such crucible steel production can be traced back centuries around the CE era in places like Tamil Nadu (e.g., the Kodumanal site), reaching a stable scale of exports around the 10th century.
2. c. 950–980Baghdad · IraqArab scholars continuously described Indian steel from the 9th century onward: al-Kindi discussed Indian steel in detail in his writings on swords, and al-Biruni recorded its production sites and craft in the Kitab al-Hind (c. 1030), reflecting wootz steel's entry into West Asian intellectual circles via the Indian Ocean–Persian Gulf trade route.
3. c. 980–1000Malabar Coast (around Quilon) · KeralaPorts on the Malabar Coast (such as Quilon) became channels for wootz exports; steel ingots were shipped by sea to Persia, the Arabian Peninsula, and even the Mediterranean, becoming an important economic and technological export of southern Indian polities.