It was founded in 1945. The inaugural meeting was held on 28 November 1945; the organization was formed by the Iron and Steel Institute and the Institute of Metals.
The International Iron and Steel Institute was formed in 1967, which is now the World Steel Association. by the late 1960s the Institution had around 10,000 metallurgists.
It was involved in the formation of the Association of Professional Scientists and Technologists (APST) in 1971, which was formed as a result of the Industrial Relations Act 1971.