History of Cast Iron Radiators 2

In the last few years the demand of homeowners for Cast Iron Radiators has apparently

skyrocketed, possibly due to the increasingly popular trend of owning ‘vintage’ items (or items which

appear to be ‘vintage’). However, this is only a single chapter in the History of Cast Iron Radiators

which dates back well over a hundred years (in their current form) and their origins can even be

traced back over two thousand years to the invention of Cast Iron itself.

Since it was first invented by the Chinese in the 5th century B.C. who used it in the construction of

many items as a result of its unmalleable property, the alloy has been used for a wide range of

purposes, particularly following its introduction to western nations in the 15th century. One of the

major uses of Cast Iron upon its introduction was in the military. For example, Henry VIII initiated the

use of cast iron in cannon and shot and also insisted that cannon be manufactured out of the alloy

and ever since English furnaces perfected the production of the alloy for military as well as civilian

uses. These civilian uses of Cast Iron include the manufacture of pots by the Coalbrookdale furnaces

by Abraham Darby’s company.

There is, however, one past use of cast iron which directly resulted in the metal being used in the

manufacture of radiators. This of course was the development of steam power and the use of cast

iron in the manufacture of steam engines, as pioneered by Thomas Newcomen. One of the key

advantages of using cast iron for the manufacture of cylinders for steam engines (such as those

produced by James Wilkinson for the famous steam-powered locomotives of James Watt) was that it

was considerably cheaper to produce than brass (the metal which had previously been used for the

purpose). It is this use of cast iron which led to its usage in radiators as (like in steam engines) the

cylinders of the heaters being developed in the late nineteenth century needed to transport vast

quantities of steam and water and needed, therefore, to be resistant to the corrosive effect such

wear and tear would potentially have on the cylinders. This quality had already been demonstrated

by Cast Iron through its use in steam locomotives and, as a result, Cast Iron Radiators became a very

popular means of heating the home and remains so to this day.