Iron Age iron files from England

There are more than 40 iron files known from the pre‐Roman Iron Age in England, of which 26 come from settlements with evidence of manufacturing activities. The files vary considerably in size and form. The coarse‐cut files were probably intended for working soft or fibrous materials such as wood or horn, whereas the finer‐cut files were probably for working more compact or harder materials, including metals. This corresponds to the metallographic evidence from a sample of 17 files, of which only seven finer‐cut ones have been found to be quench‐hardened. The discovery of metal particles in five files provides further evidence of use.