Anglo Saxon History Home Background Landscape Changing Landscape and Language Sea Levels in AD400(Pevensey) Sea Levels in AD400(The Wash) Sea level changes last 2000 years Andredsweald and Anderida Where are the Roman Roads History of the Romney Marsh The Great Storm 1287AD List of Landscape Documents Local The Saxon Kingdom of the Haestingas The Cinque Ports 914AD Alfred the Great's fort in Hastings Battle Museum Battle History Society Villagenet Local Gazeteer World War 2 Tank database Simon the Piman(Raspberry Pi) Tourist Guides for the area Romans First Invasion 55BC Second Invasion 43AD Roman roads in Britannia Ptolemy Geographica Tribes MAP-Margary Roman Roads MAP-Roman Roads South East MAP-Roman Roads South West MAP-Roman Roads Wales MAP-Roman Roads South Midlands MAP-Roman Roads South Yorkshire MAP-Roman Locations Norfolk MAP-Roman Locations Essex MAP-Wealden Roads/Bloomeries Wealden Bloomeries 1st Century Wealden Bloomeries 2nd Century Wealden Bloomeries 3rd Century 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Villages containing EY/EYE/SEA Villages containing HAM Villages containing TON Villages containing CASTLE Sussex Locations with ING Domesday Sussex with ING Kent Locations with ING Sussex Locations with HURST Loads of Village Translations Res Roman Iron Producing Regions and Production This page show details of the major iron producing areas in the Roman Empire and tries to quantify the output from the ironworks from 0AD to 400AD. The production figures also show that the Wealden Iron industry was of major importance as it contributed about 40% of Roman Iron until Carausius, then only 20% implying that the Weald was supplying iron for weapons and ships, but after Carausius the manufacture for weapons was dropped leaving only enough for shipbuilding. ▼ Major Iron producing Regions ▼ Production Volumes ▼ Estimated Roman Iron Production (Tonnes per Century) ▼ Notes ▼ References – Roman Iron Production ▼ Recommended Reading Major Iron producing Regions ▲ 1. Britannia (Britain)     Weald (Southeast England): One of the most significant ironworking areas in Roman Britain.     It had abundant iron ore and the forest of Anderida for charcoal production.     Forest of Dean: (Gloucestershire): Rich in iron ore and known for Roman iron mining and smelting.     South Wales: The Roman fort at Caerleon and nearby sites had associated iron production facilities. 2. Gallia (Gaul - modern France and surrounding areas)     Lorraine: This region had important iron ore deposits and was active in Roman metallurgy.     Normandy and Burgundy: Evidence of Roman smelting and forging operations. 3. Germania     The Siegerland (modern western Germany): A major ironworking area, known for     both mining and smelting iron.     The Lahn-Dill area: Significant Roman mining and iron production, with archaeological finds of     furnaces and tools. 4. Hispania (Iberian Peninsula - Spain and Portugal)     Asturias and Cantabria: Northern Spain had rich iron deposits and evidence of Roman exploitation.      Sierra Morena (southern Spain): Known for both silver and iron mining under Roman control. 5. Noricum (modern Austria and Slovenia)     Famous for Noric steel, a high-quality steel exported throughout the Empire.     The region was a major supplier of weapons-grade iron and steel. 6. Illyricum and Pannonia: (Balkans)     Ironworking centers existed in what is now Croatia, Serbia, and Hungary, often near Roman     military camps or settlements. These sites supported the Roman military, infrastructure development, and trade networks. The Romans used bloomery furnaces and sometimes early blast furnaces for smelting. Production Volumes ▲ Estimating iron output from Roman ironworking regions is difficult due to limited direct records, but archaeologists and historians have made educated estimates based on slag heaps, furnace remains, tools, and production sites. Here’s a rough overview by region with plausible output figures, where available: 🇬🇧 Britannia (e.g., Weald, Forest of Dean)     Weald (Southeast England):     Estimated output: 1,000 - 1,500 tonnes of iron per year during peak operation (1st–3rd centuries CE).     Over the Roman period, total output might have reached 100,000–150,000 tonnes.     Forest of Dean:     More localized production; estimates suggest several hundred tonnes per year at most. 🇫🇷 Gallia (e.g., Lorraine, Burgundy)     No specific total figures, but archaeological finds suggest major regional production centers     supplying both local and military needs.     Based on slag volume in some Gallo-Roman industrial areas, individual sites may have produced     100–500 tonnes/year. 🇩🇪 Germania (e.g., Siegerland, Lahn-Dill)     Siegerland:     One of the largest Roman-era ironworking districts north of the Alps.     Estimates (from slag volumes): up to 1,000 tonnes/year from this region during peak periods.     Total for Germania provinces could have ranged in the low tens of thousands of tonnes over the Roman period. 🇪🇸 Hispania (e.g., Asturias, Sierra Morena)     Iron was secondary to silver and gold, but still significant.     Ironworking was likely regional and decentralized, with output possibly in the range of hundreds of tonnes/year in productive areas. 🇦🇹 Noricum (Austria/Slovenia – Noric Steel)     High-quality steel production rather than quantity-focused.     Archaeological remains suggest large-scale smelting, with total output estimates (across several centuries) of tens of thousands of tonnes.     Noric steel was highly valued and widely exported, especially for weapons and tools. 🇭🇷🇷🇸 Balkans (Illyricum, Pannonia)     Extensive military presence and local smelting sites near legionary fortresses.     Likely several hundred tonnes/year per regional center during active periods. 🇭🇷 Dacia     Dacia only became Roman in 106 CE, so 1st c. = 0.     Production likely peaked mid-2nd c., then declined due to instability before abandonment (271 CE). 🇮🇹 Italia     Elba and Populonia had iron mines, though not as large as provincial sources.     Decline mirrors Italian economic stagnation. 20,000–50,000 tonnes/year during the 1st–2nd centuries CE (peak industrial scale).   Estimated Roman Iron Production (Tonnes per Century) ▲ Region 1st CE 2nd CE 3rd CE 4th CE Britannia (Weald, Forest of Dean) 40,000 55,000 35,000 10,000 Gallia (Lorraine, Burgundy) 10,000 12,000 9,000 12,000 Germania (Siegerland, Lahn-Dill) 12,000 15,000 10,000 14,000 Hispania (Asturias, Sierra Morena) 15,000 18,000 12,000 6,000 Noricum (Austrian Alps) 8,000 10,000 7,000 5,000 Illyricum & Pannonia (Balkans) 7,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 Dacia 0 6,000 4,000 0 Italia 5,000 6,000 4,000 1,500 Other minor provinces 1,000 1,500 1,000 800 Estimated Total Empire-wide 98,000 131,500 89,000 53,000   Notes ▲ 2nd century CE is considered the peak of Roman iron production. 4th century CE shows a marked decline due to political instability and economic contraction. Noricum's output, though not the highest, was known for quality (steel), not just volume. Estimates are based on slag heaps, furnace remains, mining evidence, and extrapolation from military needs. Dacia only became Roman in 106 CE, so 1st c. = 0 production likely peaked mid-2nd c., then declined due to instability before abandonment (271 CE). Methods of Estimation Slag-to-iron ratios: E.g., 2–4 tonnes of slag ≈ 1 tonne of iron. Furnace efficiency models: Based on bloomery furnace output (~0.5–1 tonne per year per furnace). Military demand modeling: Calculations of how much iron was needed for weapons, tools, nails, etc., especially in frontier provinces. References – Roman Iron Production ▲ Cleere, H., & Crossley, D. (1985). The Iron Industry of the Weald. Leicester University Press. Greene, K. (1986). The Archaeology of the Roman Economy. University of California Press. Healy, J. F. (1978). Mining and Metallurgy in the Greek and Roman World. Thames and Hudson. Millett, M., Revell, L., & Moore, A. (Eds.). (2016). The Oxford Handbook of Roman Britain. Oxford University Press. Tylecote, R. F. (1992). A History of Metallurgy (2nd ed.). Maney Publishing. Hauptmann, A., & Rehren, T. (2002). Roman Iron Production in Germania: Archaeometallurgical Research in Siegerland. In Metalla (Vol. 9, pp. 55–68). Lang, J. (1990). Die Eisenverhüttung im Siegerland in der Römerzeit. Verein für Siegerländer Bergbau. Salter, C. (2013). Iron production in the Forest of Dean: A reassessment of Roman industry. Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, 131, 45–68.   Recommended Reading ▲ Recommended Books (these are books I use for reference) Title/Author Title/Author An Atlas of Roman Britain Barri Jones & David Mattingly   Roman Ways in the Weald Ivan D Margary The fall of the West Adrian Goldsworthy   Roman Towns in Britain Guy de la Bedoyere Romans in Britain Rodney Legg   Hadrian's Wall in the Days of the Romans Roderick Embleton and Frank Graham Roman Roads of Sussex Alex Vincent   The Roman Forts of the Saxon Shore Leonard Cottrell The Roman Forts of the Saxon Shore Stephen Johnson   Outposts of the Roman Empire David Gurney Roman Britain's Pirate King Simon Elliott   CL:BR Dana S Adler Hadrian's Wall Path Anthony Burton   Roman Roads in Britain book 1 Ivan D Margary Roman Roads in Britain book 2 Ivan D Margary   Vindolanda Guide Andrew Birley Atlas of the Roman World Tim Cornell and John Matthews (As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases) Copyright saxonhistory.co.uk 2013 - 2025 Contact Simon Author Simon M - Last updated - 2025-05-03 14:56:24 All pages on our site (Sitemap)