Owing to its vast mineral resources, metallurgy developed quite naturally in ancient Orissa and may have been an additional factor in catapulting the region to considerable importance during the Iron Age. Iron tools were used in agricultural production, digging irrigation canals, stone quarrying, cave excavation and later monumental architecture. Rice cultivation got a particular fillip and during the iron age irrigation works from Orissa spread to the regions of ancient Andhra and Tamil Nadu around 300 BC Orissa also became a major steel producing center and steel beams were extensively used in the monumental temples of Bhubaneswar and Puri.

The Central Sector Projects are: Steel Plant at Rourkela, SAND Complex at Chhatrapur, Heavy Water Project at Talcher, Coach Repairing Workshop at Mancheswar, Aluminum Complex at Koraput, Captive Power Plant at Angul, Aluminum Smelter at Angul and Fertilizer Plant at Paradeep. Major thermal and hydel power stations are Talcher, Hirakud, and Chiplima. Major rhermal and hydel power stations are Talcher, Hirakud and Chiplima. Other power projects are Upper Indravati, Upper Kolab, Rengali and Ib.

Industry also plays a key role in the economy. Products manufactured in Orissa include textiles, paper, leather goods, cement, soap, glass, aluminum, and flour. Some of the natural resources that are mined are iron, coal, and zinc. Orissa has trade relations with other states of India, the United States, Japan, Britain, and Germany.

There are many products that are shipped in and out of Orissa annually. The main exports are expensive gems, fish, fancy jewelry, baskets, and clothing. Orissa is known worldwide for its fine cloths and the painstaking effort with which they are made. Orissa also imports many things. The chief imports are machinery, steel, and fuel.