The world’s steel production volume is steadily increasing and has nearly reached 2 billion tons per year, equivalent to more than 250 kg per capita. In the past, constructing an average frame house required cutting down 20 trees, but today, recycling just 5 cars provides enough steel for the same purpose. The steel industry plays a crucial role in providing employment for nearly 50 million people, and the world now relies heavily on this indispensable material.

Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, combined with other elements to impart specific properties. Through such alloying additives, steel can be made 1000 times stronger than iron. The art of steelmaking is a multi-step, intricate process that has been perfected over more than 2,500 years. It can be likened to a kitchen, where various recipes and technologies, along with exquisite spices “ferroalloys”, are used to create the perfect “dish” tailored to specific applications. In modern metallurgy, an impressive range of 3,500 steel grades is produced, with 75% of them not even existing just 20 years ago.

Oxidation processes, thermal stresses, and chemical influences in metallurgical furnaces create significant, challenges for the materials used in their construction. The quality of the refractory lining in metallurgical units plays a crucial role in determining their service life. UKRGRAFIT mastered the production of carbon blocks as early as 1973, which now play a vital role in holding molten cast iron or alloys, contributing to extended kiln campaigns, and ensuring the stability of the design.

Today our products serve as the heart of blast and ferroalloy furnaces in numerous metallurgical enterprises around the world. Our carbon blocks provide the reliability and performance needed to withstand the harsh conditions of these furnaces, enabling the efficient and uninterrupted production of metals.