Film covers the history and production of steel, beginning with an animated sequence showing geological creation of iron ore. Animation continues with Donald Duck as a colonial iron worker. Live sequences show the restored Saugus Iron Works in Massachusetts, then modern steel production, including mining, transportation, blast furnaces, pollution control equipment, steel furnaces, steel rolling, research laboratories, and modern uses of steel.

This is a revision of film originally made in 1965 and called just Steel and America. (See Hagley PC Accession 86.268 Film #15.) Opening sequence and several subsequent live sequences are different from original, but animation is pretty much the same. There is more discussion in this film of environmental engineering in the steel industry.