Steel Wool: Shavings Pulled from Wire

Steel wool is a bundle of very fine, flexible, sharp-edged steel filaments, described as a new product in 1896. It is made from low-carbon steel in a process like broaching: heavy steel wire is pulled through a toothed die that shaves off thin, sharp strands. It is graded from coarse 4 and 3 to super fine 0000, whose fibres are about 25 μm (0.001 in) thick, and is used to polish wood and metal, clean cookware and sand surfaces.