Why was it called pig iron?

sequoianoir

The name is derived from the time when the iron ran into molds in sand beds fed from a common runner. The row of molds was said to resemble a litter of suckling pigs, hence the individual ingots were referred to as pigs and the runner was called the sow. Apr 04 04, 9:05 AM

bipolar

"The workers were very familiar with the appearance of a mother pig, called a sow, and her dozen or more nursing piglets. As they looked at the molten iron flowing from the hearth in the base of the furnace stack, the trench of red iron with the many short side branches made them think of a sow (the large feeder trench) and pigs (the end result)." http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem03/chem03436.htm Jan 18 08, 5:53 PM