Steel industry

Records of over 100 iron and steel businesses, relating to production, finance, directors and shareholders, sales and marketing, workforce, legal matters, photographs and company magazines.

Contact us on archives@sheffield.gov.uk to find out more, book in advance or order archival materials.

Dates covered

Some records date from the 17th century. However, the majority cover the 19th and 20th centuries, reflecting Sheffield’s dominance of the iron and steel industry during those centuries.

Location

Most original records are available at Sheffield Archives, 52 Shoreham Street, Sheffield. However some printed annual reports, company magazines and trade catalogues and some photographs are available at the Local Studies Library.

Ordering documents

Not all archive material is stored onsite and we may require notice of the items you wish to see. Please contact us to confirm when we can retrieve items for you.

Items in the World Metal Index do need to be ordered in advance please contact them for further advice.

Copies

We can normally supply copies for private study purposes, subject to the usual copyright regulations. Please contact us for further information.

Further reading

• Barraclough, K.C., Sheffield Steel (Hartington, 1976) (Sheffield Local Studies Library: 669.1 S; also available at Sheffield Archives: BAR/BUS)
• Hey, David, A History of Sheffield (Carnegie Publishing Limited, 2005) (Sheffield Local Studies Library: 942.74 S; also available at Sheffield Archives: HEY/LOCAL)
• Jones, Melvyn The Making of Sheffield (Wharncliffe Books, 2004) (Sheffield Local Studies Library: 942.74 S; also available at Sheffield Archives: JON/LOCAL)
• Tweedale, Geoffrey, Giants of Sheffield Steel: the men who made Sheffield the steel capital of the world, (Sheffield City Libraries, 1986) (Sheffield Local Studies Library: 923.842 S; also available at Sheffield Archives: BIOG/14)
• Tweedale, Geoffrey, Steel City: Entrepreneurship, Strategy, and Technology in Sheffield 1743-1993 (Clarendon Press, 1995) (Sheffield Local Studies Library: 338.4 S)