Steel

Steel was an alloy formed from iron and carbon, and was used in a variety of weapons and armor.

Properties
This common alloy was, in terms of protection, stronger than stone, but less strong than mithral and adamantine.

Applications
Blades around the Realms were crafted from the finest steel for keenness and flexibility. In order to make the edge of the blades perfectly sharp, the steel had to be folded, pounded, and then tempered. Weapons of such quality could cause additional damage in combat.

As well as weapons, armor was typically made from common steel. There were, however, less common varieties of steel, such as fine or elven, which were a lot lighter, but far more expensive. Usually, fine steel armor would cost about twice as much, but elven steel armor was reserved for only those deemed worthy, and thus was not often available for purchase.

In Calimshan, metalworkers had developed two unique variations of steel, solbar, or "bright steel", which was a mix of steel with silver, and hamaad or "war metal", which was a refined and folded steel. The former had a bluish shine to it and resisted tarnishing; the latter was often used to make stronger and lighter weapon blades. Both alloys were used in the production of the shoonrings of the Sixth Age of Calimshan.

Helms of brilliance, enchanted helmets adorned with gems, were made of a combination of silver and strong, polished steel. Light and heavy shields were either formed of wood or steel, and the steel varieties weighed. Chain shirts came with steel caps.

As well as armor and weapons, steel had a variety of other uses. It was used in pitons, and polished steel was used to make mirrors. Striking flint with a piece of steel produced sparks, which could be used to light fires.

Lantan minted envelope-shaped trade bars made of steel engraved with the symbol of Gond. They were worth 20 gp each and were commonly used in trade across the Sword Coast.

Tuning forks made of steel and tuned to C were used as a material component for the plane shift spell when the destination was the Prime Material plane. The tuning fork took the user to the location to which the metal was native, in the interpretation of the Great Wheel cosmology that considered each crystal sphere to be a different alternative Material plane.