Wootz steel is a steel characterized by a pattern of bands or sheets of micro carbides within a tempered martensite or pearlite matrix. It is stated to have developed in India around 300 BC. However, the steel was an old technology in India when King Porus presented a steel sword to the emperor Alexander in 326 BC. The steel technology obviously existed before 326 BC as steel was being exported westward at that time. Since the technology was acquired from the Tamilians from South India, the origin of steel technology in India can be conservatively estimated at 400–500 BC.
The word wootz may have been a mistranscription of wook, an anglicised version of urukke, the word for melting in Tamil and Malayalam or urukku (உருக்கு) (ഉരുക്കു), the word for steel in Kannada, Telugu and many other southern Indian
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