What Unicalce does

Unicalce S.p.A. is Italy's leading producer of calcic and dolomitic lime and derivative products, operating 22 kilns across 11 production plants with a total capacity of 2 million tonnes per year. Founded in 1923 in Lecco, the company directly cultivates 10 carbonate quarries across six Italian regions, including the largest underground limestone quarry in Europe at Val Brembilla. Its diversified product portfolio serves eight industrial verticals: steel (EAF/BOF flux and desulfurization products such as Flumag, Captor, Desulfast, Saverit, Alucal, plus a proprietary pneumatic lime injection system), construction (Premier brand premixed mortars and hydrated lime), environmental treatment (Depurcal MG for flue gas, Sorbalit for water), infrastructure (UNIROAD for soil stabilization, CALFILL for asphalt), agriculture and zootechnics (AgriCal Plus, AgriMag Plus, AgriMag Super, Magnital, Potacal, Azotec, VF06, VF10), glass (calcined lime substituting calcium carbonate), chemicals, and aggregates.

The company monetizes primarily through direct B2B sales with quote-based pricing and multi-year contracts to industrial customers, supported by a nationwide field-sales network. Technical consulting and customized solutions (including a patented pneumatic injection system validated over 1,200 melting cycles at Acciaierie di Calvisano) drive strategic-partner relationships with steelmakers. Revenue stands at approximately €200M as of the 2023 centennial, supported by EcoVadis Bronze Medal certification, ELITE network membership (Borsa Italiana/Euronext), and active research collaborations with CNR, Politecnico di Milano, Università di Siena, and EuLA on decarbonization and carbonation science. Sustainability alignment with EU 2030/2050 climate targets is positioned as a key differentiator, given that lime naturally recaptures approximately 33% of process CO2 emissions across applications.

Name

Unicalce

Legal name

Unicalce S.p.A.

Website

https://unicalce.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Unicalce is Italy's leading producer of calcic and dolomitic lime and derivative products, operating 11 plants and 10 quarries to serve steel, construction, environmental, infrastructure, agriculture, glass, chemical, and aggregate industrial customers across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Lime Production

NAICS

Lime Manufacturing (32741), Lime Manufacturing (327410), Lime and Gypsum Product Manufacturing (3274)

SIC

Mining & Quarrying Of Nonmetallic Minerals (No Fuels) (1400)

akta.pro primary industry

Limestone Quarrying (Industrial & Construction Grade) (IMAKAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aggregate Processing & Value-Added Products (Washing, Screening, Asphalt/Concrete Aggregates) (IMAKAHAH), Soil Amendments & Conditioners (Lime/Gypsum/Humates) (IMAEAEAH)

Keywords

• Industrial lime production
• Calcium-based products
• Dolomitic lime manufacturing
• Steelmaking lime supplies
• Construction premixed materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Lecce

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Lime and calcium-based products — direct industrial sales: Unicalce manufactures and sells lime (calce viva, calce idrata), dolomitic lime, calcium carbonate, and derived products directly to industrial customers in steel, construction, environmental, agriculture, glass, chemical, infrastructure, and aggregates markets. Revenue is generated through direct commercial relationships, with a sales and production network present nationwide. The company also operates the Premier Premiscelati brand for construction premixes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Unicalce manufactures and supplies limestone, dolomitic lime (calce viva, calce idrata), calcium carbonate, and derivative products. Operating 22 kilns across 11 production plants with 2 million tonnes/year capacity, the company sells directly to industrial customers in steel, construction, environmental, infrastructure, agriculture, glass, chemical, and aggregates sectors, including the Premier sub-brand for construction premixes.

Product overview

UNICALCE is Italy's leading producer of calcic and dolomitic lime and derived products, operating with 22 kilns across 11 production facilities with a capacity of 2 million tonnes per year. The company offers a diversified portfolio organized by industry verticals: steel metallurgy products (Flumag, Captor, Desulfast, Saverit, Alucal, Lime Injection System) for EAF and BOF steelmaking processes; construction products under the Premier sub-brand (hydrated lime, quicklime, mortars); infrastructure solutions (UNIROAD for soil stabilization, CALFILL for asphalt additives); agricultural products (AgriCal Plus, AgriMag Plus, AgriMag Super, Magnital, Potacal, Azotec, VF06, VF10) for soil pH correction, fertilization, and livestock hygiene; environmental treatment products (Sorbalit, Depurcal MG) for water and flue gas treatment; and industrial aggregates (calcium carbonates, dolomites in various granulometries). The company also provides research, consulting, and customized solution services for strategic customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Premier: Construction products brand created by Unicalce in 1989 for its line of building materials, including pre-mixed products
• Premier Premiscelati
• UniLogo
• MY UNICALCE

Products and services

• Premier (Construction Brand) Sub-brand for construction products including pre-mixed mortars, special hydrated lime, lime putty, and wet mortars for the building industry.
• Calce Viva in Zolle (Lump Quicklime)

Quantifiable outcome

• 33% of CO2 process emissions naturally recaptured through lime carbonation across applications (European average)
• +10 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• EuLA (European Lime Association)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Unicalce is a member of EuLA, the European Lime Association. In 2018, EuLA commissioned Politecnico di Milano to conduct a peer-reviewed literature review on lime carbonation. As an active EuLA member, Unicalce participated in this initiative, which aims to define and quantify the role of lime in CO2 elimination and permanent storage, supporting Europe's carbon neutrality goals.
• CNR (National Research Council of Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnicalce collaborated with CNR on a three-year research project to develop a multi-analytical in-situ pre-screening system for rapid, reliable characterization of carbonate raw materials in quarries, using non-destructive analytical techniques.
• Università di Siena (University of Siena)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner in the three-year project developing the multi-analytical in-situ pre-screening technique for carbonate quarry characterization, alongside CNR and Petrologic Synergy.
• Politecnico di Milano (PoliMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolitecnico di Milano conducted a comprehensive peer-reviewed literature review on lime carbonation, commissioned by EuLA in 2018 and analyzing ~82% of European lime usage. The study quantifies CO2 recapture rates across applications and informs the industry's carbon neutrality roadmap.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Carmeuse: Belgium-headquartered global lime and limestone producer — the largest in Europe. Directly comparable to Unicalce in quicklime, hydrated lime and dolomitic lime supply to steel, construction, environmental and flue-gas treatment customers; competes with Unicalce in the Italian and broader European lime market.
• Lhoist: Family-owned Belgian lime and dolomite producer with operations worldwide. Closely comparable to Unicalce across quicklime, hydrated lime and dolomitic lime for steel, environmental, agriculture and construction applications; one of the two largest European lime competitors to Unicalce.
• Graymont: Canada-headquartered lime and dolomitic lime producer with operations across North America and the Asia-Pacific. Closely comparable to Unicalce in product portfolio (high-calcium and dolomitic lime) and end-markets (steel, environmental, construction); an active global consolidator in the lime industry.
• Nordkalk: Finnish lime and limestone producer owned by Rettig Group, active across Northern Europe. Directly comparable to Unicalce in quicklime, hydrated lime and limestone aggregates for steel, paper, environmental and construction customers; competes in cross-border European lime trade.
• Fels-Werke: German family-owned lime producer with multiple plants in Germany. Comparable to Unicalce in quicklime, hydrated lime and specialty lime grades for steel, environmental and construction markets; competes directly with Unicalce in the German-speaking and Central European lime trade.
• Italcalce: Italian competitor in the domestic lime market. Most directly comparable peer to Unicalce given identical home geography, with overlapping customer base across steel, construction and environmental applications.
• Calcidrata: Smaller Italian lime producer focused on hydrated lime and limestone products for construction and environmental applications. Domestic Italian peer to Unicalce with overlapping end-markets but a narrower product range.

Broad incumbents

• Sibelco: Belgian-headquartered global industrial minerals company producing a broad range of minerals (silica, nepheline, feldspars, ball clays, calcium carbonates). Comparable to Unicalce in the calcium carbonate / industrial minerals domain but with a much broader product portfolio that goes well beyond lime.
• IMERYS: French-listed global specialty minerals producer with operations in performance minerals, including calcium carbonates for industrial and construction uses. Comparable to Unicalce in industrial mineral-based fillers and additives but operates across a much wider portfolio.
• Heidelberg Materials: German-listed global building materials major producing cement, aggregates and ready-mixed concrete. Comparable to Unicalce at the downstream interface where Unicalce supplies lime and aggregates to construction customers and adjacent cement-bound applications; not a direct lime competitor but a large incumbent in shared end-markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/unicalcespa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unicalce-spa
• Instagraminstagram.com/unicalce_spa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Unicalce