How steel is made - a summary of a Blast Furnace
At the bottom of the furnace where temperatures rise well over 3000 Fahrenheit, molten slag floats on a pool of molten iron which is four or five feet deep. Because the slag floats on top of the iron it is possible to drain it off through a slag notch in the furnace. The molten iron is released from the hearth of the furnace through a tap hole.