Abraham Darby is regarded as the English iron-master because he was the first to use coke successfully in the smelting of iron, thus revolutionizing the production of steel. By 1700, there was a wood fuel scarcity that limited supplies of charcoal, the chief fuel of metal making. Darby’s successful introduction (1709) of coal as a substitute for charcoal circumvented this shortage, and therefore is seen as a major factor in the future success of the British Industrial Revolution. Darby improved the science and technique of brass production and helped turn Great Britain into an important brass goods exporter. Darby founded the world's first metallurgy laboratory at his Baptist Mills Brass Works factory, where he refined brass making.