The Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) list has been defined based on economic importance and supply risk by the European Commission. This review paper describes two issues regarding critical raw materials: the possibilities of their substitution in iron-based alloys and the use of iron-based alloys instead of other materials in order to save CRMs. This review covers strategies for saving chromium in stainless steel, substitution or lowering the amounts of carbide-forming elements (especially tungsten and vanadium) in tool steel and alternative iron-based CRM-free and low-CRM materials: austempered ductile cast iron, high-temperature alloys based on intermetallics of iron and sintered diamond tools with an iron-containing low-cobalt binder.

The effect of phase composition and morphology on high-temperature strength in the compression of Fe-Al-Si-based iron aluminides manufactured by casting was investigated. The structure and high-temperature strength in the compression of three alloys—Fe28Al5Si, Fe28Al5Si2Mo, and Fe28Al5Si2Ti—were studied. Long-term (at 800 °C for 100 h) annealing was performed for the achievement of structural stability. The phase composition and grain size of alloys were primarily described by means of scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive analysis and Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD). The phase composition was verified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The effect of Mo and Ti addition as well as the effect of long-term annealing on high-temperature yield stress in compression were investigated. Both additives—Mo and Ti—affected the yield stress values positively. Long-term annealing of Fe28Al5Si-X iron aluminide alloyed with Mo and Ti deteriorates yield stress values slightly due to grain coarsening.