billet

In metallurgy, a billet is a piece of semifinished metal, typically iron or steel, that is nearly square in cross-section. It serves as feedstock for creating long metal products with smaller cross-sections, such as bars and rods. Billets are usually formed by rolling a larger piece of metal called a bloom. They can also be a casting of nonferrous metal ready for further processing like rolling or extrusion. Billets are distinct from ingots, which are larger masses of metal cast into shapes convenient for storage and transport before being worked into semi-finished or finished products.12345