Abstract: High Al austenitic steels are particularly susceptible to deterioration of the hot workability and suffer from severe cracking during hot working, with working becoming impossible in some cases. The present invention remarkably improves the hot workability by strictly limiting the impurities in the steel, in particular the S, O, Mg, Pb, Bi, etc. That is, the present invention reduces the S and O by adding one or more of Ca, Y, and REM to satisfy the range of -50<(S)+(O)-0.8.times.(Ca)-0.2.times.(Y)-0.1 .times.(REM)<30 (unit: ppm) and further limits the Mg to no more than 100 ppm, the Pb to no more than 10 ppm, and the Bi to no more than 5 ppm. According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a high Al austenitic heat-resistant steel superior in hot workability which is free from occurrence of edge cracks, surface flaws, and other surface defects during hot rolling, hot casting, etc.

Abstract: A method of continuously casting lead-bearing steel by adding lead to steel melt in a tundish. The tundish is divided into a plurality of chambers including a melt receiving chamber and an immersed nozzle chamber, lead is supplied to the molten steel in a chamber other than the immersed nozzle chamber so as to form a lead sediment layer at the bottom thereof, and molten steel containing suspended Pb is passed to the immersed nozzle chamber from where it is poured into a mold of the continuous caster.