High carbon ferrochrome is one of the most common ferroalloys produced and is almost exclusively used in the production of stainless steel and high chromium steels. Production takes place primarily in countries with substantial chromite ore supply. Relatively cheap electricity and reductants also contribute to the viability of high carbon ferrochrome. The most common production technology utilized is submerged arc smelting in AC furnaces, although open arc smelting in DC furnaces is becoming increasingly common. A more advanced technology route that includes a prereduction step is only utilized at significant scale by one producer. Production processes have become more energy and metallurgically efficient by utilizing advanced processes such as prereduction, preheating, agglomeration of ore, and CO gas utilization. Recently installed plants display manageable risks in terms of environmental pollution and occupational health.

Over 80% of the world’s ferrochrome output is utilized in the production of stainless steel. Stainless steel is dependent on chromium for its appearance and its resistance to corrosion. The average chromium content in stainless steel is 18%. FeCr is also used when it is desired to add chromium to carbon steel. FeCr from South Africa known as “charge chrome” and produced from a low-grade chrome ore is most commonly used in stainless steel production. High-carbon FeCr produced from high-grade ore found in Kazakhstan (among other places) is more commonly used in specialist applications such as engineering steels where a higher Cr to Fe ratio is important.

Ferrochrome production is essentially a high-temperature carbothermic reduction operation. Chrome ore (an oxide of chromium and iron) is reduced by coke (and coal) to form the iron–chromium–carbon alloy. The heat for the process is provided typically from the electric arc formed between the tips of the electrodes in the bottom of the furnace and the furnace hearth in very large cylindrical furnaces known as “submerged arc furnaces.” As the name implies the three carbon electrodes of the furnace are submerged into a bed of mainly solid and some liquid mixture made up of the solid carbon (coke and/or coal), solid oxide raw materials (ore and fluxes) as well as the liquid FeCr alloy and molten slag droplets that are being formed. In the process of smelting, huge amounts of electricity are consumed. Tapping of the material from the furnace takes place intermittently. When enough smelted ferrochrome has accumulated in the hearth of the furnace, the tap hole is drilled open and a stream of molten metal and slag flows out down a trough into a chill or ladle. The ferrochrome solidifies in large castings, which are crushed for sale or further processed.