Overview:

Metallurgy is the process and technique of extracting metals or metal compounds from minerals, and then transforming the metals into materials with specific properties through various processing methods. The main types of metallurgical methods include pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy and electrometallurgy. 

The types of metallurgy include black metal metallurgy, non-ferrous heavy metal metallurgy, non-ferrous light metal metallurgy, rare metal metallurgy and precious metal metallurgy. The development of metallurgy witnessed a vigorous growth from the 19th century to the mid-20th century, achieving remarkable accomplishments.