A brief description of cast iron and a comparison of the 2 processes used to produce it are given in this paper. The cost of cast iron produced either by the cupola or the electric furnace is the same. The electric furnace permits superheating and the production of iron of any composition with accurate control. On the other hand, the cupola is limited to the production of high carbon iron. As a result of the success of electric melting, the field of application of cast iron has been greatly increased.