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[UristMcDwarf]

I've got everything needed for steel making, but, how good is it, exactly?

I HAD TO BREACH CAVERN FOR TEH FLUX

[Namfuak]

It's like warm apple pie.

[Zrk2]

It's like warm apple pie.

Only more Fun.

[Deteramot]

IIRC, Steel is the second best metal for just about everything in the game. Makes great armor, decent hammers, good swords and axes. I don't think it's terrible at making any one thing, either.

Basically, having steel makes you ready for just about anything.

[UristMcDwarf]

It's like warm apple pie.

With icecream?

[slothen]

My military dwarves get steel coffins.

[shadowclasper]

My military dwarves get steel coffins.

Ditto. I make sure to encrust them with gems depending on type of dwarf =D ^^

[Namfuak]

For a more serious response, steel is probably the single most useful resource in the game.  You can make near-infinite amounts of it, as opposed to cotton candy which has a very limited supply and is a high-risk mining operation.  Besides HFS, no enemies have armor that outclasses steel, so dwarves in full steel armor will usually have little trouble fending off sieges (you'll need cloaks to protect their necks, but that can't be made out of steel.  Yet).  There are two main issues with steel:

1.  It is quite heavy, so dwarves who have low armor user skill and a lot of steel armor on will move somewhat slowly, but sparring or danger rooms will quickly rectify that.

2.  It can be very resource intensive to create.  You have to use two iron ores, 2 fuel, and two flux stones over 4 total smelting jobs to create two bars.  If you don't have magma smelters, you'll need another 4 fuel per two bars, which means you'll need 1 iron ore, 1 flux and 3 fuel per bar.  If you have access to lignite or bitumous coal, or have a lot of trees on your embark (the caverns help here), fuel shouldn't be too much of a problem.  Usually I'll just set a smelter to do "Smelt iron ore R, make pig iron bar R, smelt iron ore R, make steel bars R," which with infinite fuel (wood burners on repeat charcoal, or another smelter making coke) shouldn't be a problem.  Another thing to consider is that caravans often bring huge amounts of wood for very little cost and love it when you buy it all off of them. 

Anyway, good luck and have Fun with your newfound resource.

[Starmantle]

Well-said Namfuak.

(erm - 2nd answer, not the first)

I tend to build my entire economy around steel by mid-game.  I especially love it when one of my founder dwarves "like steel," and I make them into my weapon/armor smith.  It's indispensable for armor and weapons, and if you make steel serrated blades, you'll have some of the most powerful trap weapons in the game that will also insanely increase the value of a room and can be sold of large quantities of just about anything you'd want. 

As for the steel coffin idea - I love it.  I'll have to do that one..., though I rarely take the time to get a good metal worker. 

[ext0l]

I tend to build my entire economy around steel by mid-game.  I especially love it when one of my founder dwarves "like steel," and I make them into my weapon/armor smith.  It's indispensable for armor and weapons, and if you make steel serrated blades, you'll have some of the most powerful trap weapons in the game that will also insanely increase the value of a room and can be sold of large quantities of just about anything you'd want. 

I build my economy around gold. Gold tables, gold statues, even gold sarcophigi. All steel goes into armor and weaponry.

[rephikul]

It is quite heavy

Steel density: 7850
Iron density: 7850
Bronze density: 8250
Copper density: 8930

[Zidane]

Steel goes to the under classes, the squad with the coolest name get armor and blades of the finest adamant, will fully stocked rooms made of the same material.


You haven't lived until you own a cabinet worth 1.2 million dollars.

[nanomage]

imo steel is not worth the effort it takes.
unless you have a huge military (say 50 dwarves) which i have no idea how you could use you can armor everyone with better stuff with the same amount of work invested.

i only use it later on when i make some oscillating spike trap halls or decide to draft&armor the entire fortress to reduce civilian deaths.

[rephikul]

imo steel is not worth the effort it takes.
unless you have a huge military (say 50 dwarves) which i have no idea how you could use you can armor everyone with better stuff with the same amount of work invested.

i only use it later on when i make some oscillating spike trap halls or decide to draft&armor the entire fortress to reduce civilian deaths.

If "same amount of work invested" implies "gen worlds with 100+ z levels of semi molten rocks, reveal where exactly to dig, dig around all possible hostiles with perfect tunnels, safely tap on lava on the way and manipulate moods for legendary smiths" then indeed, steel has a more complex production chain then spoiler rocks.

[Psieye]

(you'll need cloaks to protect their necks, but that can't be made out of steel.  Yet)

Can be modded in if you really want to make terminator armoured soldiers.

Also, Steel has the exact same value as Gold because this is medival tech level where humans have yet to figure out how to make Steel. Of course, the exact value will change depending on who you're trading with in the next version.