> Charcoal is just as goodias coal in general. is an almost meaningless statement in the context of producing quality iron and steel. "Charcoal" is a reasonab

> Charcoal is just as goodias coal in general. is an almost meaningless statement in the context of producing quality iron and steel. "Charcoal" is a reasonably consistent product, "Coal" is an entire spectrum that ranges from [thermal coal] through to [metallurgical (coking) coal]. In a quality production pipeline there's a seperation between means of generating furnace heat (can be electric arc, can be thermal coal fired, can be charcoal) and a means of sourcing carbon for bonding with raw iron ores (coking coal). In the context of low grade iron and poor steel manufacture the distinctions matter less.