According to my bike's website the fork, including the steerer, is carbon.

When I took my bike apart today and looked at the steerer, it sure looked like some sort of metal, and not anything close to carbon.

What gives?

This is basically what my steerer tube looks like - a gray tube. That looks like metal.

n/a at n/a in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada - photo by mikelevy - Pinkbike