In 1961, when iron-making sites from the late Southern Song Dynasty (around 1270) were excavated in Xinhui, Guangdong, China, in addition to slag, limestone, and iron ore, coke was also found. This is the earliest example of coke used in iron smelting in the world.
In 1709, Abraham Darby I succeeded in using coke instead of charcoal to make iron, and obtained a patent for this technology.