Although aluminum is more abundant than iron, why is iron cheaper than aluminum?
The point being: why is iron cheaper? Iron ore can be directly reduced by carbon. This process was discovered, probably by accident, in antiquity, since everybody had a campfire. Aluminum ore cannot be directly reduced by carbon, and had to await the invention of electrochemistry. (Yes, I know that it was first isolated using potassium, but that had to wait for electrochemistry, as well.) Iron, by being more available, is cheaper.
Because Aluminum has more desirable properties, and is thus more valuable.
The point being: why is iron cheaper? Iron ore can be directly reduced by carbon. This process was discovered, probably by accident, in antiquity, since everybody had a campfire. Aluminum ore cannot be directly reduced by carbon, and had to await the invention of electrochemistry. (Yes, I know that it was first isolated using potassium, but that had to wait for electrochemistry, as well.) Iron, by being more available, is cheaper.
it is a lot more expensive to extract aluminium than it is iron.
it is a lot more expensive to extract aluminium than it is iron.
Because Aluminum has more desirable properties, and is thus more valuable.
