The Steel Industry has always used both lime and limestone products to facilitate the steel production process and to remove impurities.

Very pure lime (>95% CaO) is critical as a purifying agent or flux in steel making; in lump form the lime quickly produces a highly alkaline slag with the silica in the mix, which ensures a rapid removal of sulphur, phosphorous and other impurities from the steel.

Low sulphur steels can be subsequently produced using a mixture of powdered lime and fluorspar.