What Zinc Nacional does

Zinc Nacional is a Monterrey-headquartered, privately-held Mexican industrial company founded in 1952 and operating as a subsidiary of Grupo PROMAX. The company produces zinc oxide, zinc sulfate monohydrate, zinc concentrates, and, through its 1999-established Paperboard Mill (Planta Cartoncillo), 100% recycled paperboard for drywall panels, industrial liner paper, and semi-kraft paper at a 7,000 tons/month capacity that recycles over 95,000 tons of paper and cardboard annually. Its zinc oxide is produced through both the French (indirect) process from refined SHG zinc ingots and the American (direct) process from zinc concentrates and industrial by-products, and the company also operates Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) dust recycling using Waelz kiln technology across a multinational footprint that includes wholly-owned SDR in Alabama (acquired 2009), joint ventures TURKMEX in Turkey (2017) and WSP in Indiana (2017), and Harz Oxid GmbH in Germany (2020).

The business operates as a B2B industrial supplier with direct sales teams serving international markets and Mexico/LATAM, delivering zinc compounds in bagged, big-bag, and bulk formats to enterprise customers in agriculture/fertilizers, animal nutrition, mining/metallurgy, water treatment, rubber/tire manufacturing, ceramics, paint/coatings, chemicals/lubricants, and pharmaceuticals across more than 30 countries. Product specialization is carried through the Maximo and Oxzinal brands, with tightly specified grades such as Oxzinal 802 (99.8% purity) and Maximo 946X (rubber grade), several of which carry OMRI organic certification for the agricultural and feed markets. The paperboard unit is partially anchored by sister company Panel Rey within Grupo PROMAX, providing vertical integration into drywall manufacturing.

Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the company employs 501–1,000 staff and is governed by an integrated management system certified to ISO 9001:2015 (since 2009), ISO 14001:2015 (since 2021), ISO 45001:2018, and complemented by GMP+ International (since 2021), HACCP, OMRI, CTPAT, and Ecovadis sustainability ratings. The company has faced material regulatory pressure at its San Nicolás plant, including a PROFEPA temporary full closure in July 2025 and a PEMA furnace suspension order (later suspended by a federal district court), and signed an Environmental Responsibility Agreement with PROFEPA in January 2026 committing to a remediation program. Its Meremex subsidiary plant in García, Nuevo León has been non-operational since 2023.

Name

Zinc Nacional

Legal name

Zinc Nacional

Website

https://zincnacional.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Zinc Nacional is a Monterrey-based producer of zinc oxide, zinc sulfate, and recycled paperboard, serving industrial customers across agriculture, animal nutrition, mining, rubber, ceramics, paint, water treatment, and pharmaceuticals in 30+ countries via plants in Mexico, the US, Turkey, and Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Monterrey

HQ country

Mexico

HQ region

Latin America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Zinc Compounds Sales: Primary revenue from production and sale of zinc oxide and zinc sulfate monohydrate products. Products are sold to industrial customers in mining, fertilizers, animal nutrition, water treatment, rubber, ceramics, paint, chemical, lubricants, and pharmaceutical industries. Zinc Nacional also produces zinc concentrates, iron concentrate, lead sulfate, mixed potassium salts, and sodium chloride as additional product streams.
2. Recycled Paperboard Production: Secondary revenue stream from paperboard mill (Planta Cartoncillo) producing paper for drywall panels, liner paper for industrial/agricultural boxes, and semi-kraft paper. The mill has capacity of 7,000 tons per month and recycles waste cardboard, newspaper, printing press waste, and office paper.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Zinc Nacional is a leading Mexican producer of zinc compounds, primarily zinc oxide (via French/indirect and American/direct processes) and zinc sulfate monohydrate, sold in multiple grades and presentations for industrial applications. The company also operates a recycled paperboard mill (7,000 tons/month capacity) and provides Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) dust recycling services using Waelz kiln technology across operations in Mexico, USA, Turkey, and Germany.

Product overview

Zinc Nacional is a leading producer of zinc compounds offering a diversified portfolio centered on zinc oxide and zinc sulfate products. The core product line includes zinc oxide produced via both French (indirect) and American (direct) processes, and zinc sulfate monohydrate in multiple grades and presentations. Zinc oxide variants are marketed under brand names Maximo (for feed, paint, ceramics, rubber applications) and Oxzinal (for multi-industry use), with specific formulations optimized for industries including ceramics, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, lubricants, paint, rubber, and animal nutrition. Zinc sulfate products carry the Maximo brand with variants targeting animal nutrition (360, 361), agriculture (362, 363, 365), and mining applications. The company also operates a Paperboard Mill business unit producing specialty papers for drywall panels (Grayback, Ivory grades), industrial liner papers, and semi-kraft papers with 7,000 tons/month capacity. Additionally, Zinc Nacional provides Electric Arc Furnace dust recycling services using Waelz technology as part of its circular economy model. All products are sold competitively in over 30 countries with operations across Mexico, USA (SDR, WSP), Turkey (TURKMEX), and Germany (Harz Oxid).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Maximo: Product brand for zinc sulfate and zinc oxide compounds including Maximo 360, 361, 362, 363, 365, 417W, 720, 910, 911, 946X, 955X, 973M, 982
• Oxzinal

Products and services

• Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Zinc oxide produced via French (indirect) process from refined SHG zinc ingots and American (direct) process from zinc concentrates and industrial by-products. Used in ceramics, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, lubricants, paint, rubber, and animal nutrition applications.
• Zinc Sulfate Monohydrate (ZnSO4·H2O) Zinc sulfate available in pure and high purity grades and five presentations (standard powder, dustless powder, mini-granular, granular, maxi-granular). Used in mining, fertilizers, animal nutrition, water treatment, and chemical reagent applications.
• Zinc Concentrates Zinc concentrates used as raw material for the production of metallic zinc, produced through Waelz kiln processing of industrial by-products.
• Recycled Paperboard Mill Products Paperboard manufacturing unit producing Grayback paper, Ivory/Cream Face paper, Liner paper for industrial and agricultural boxes, and Semi-kraft paper with 7,000 tons per month capacity, recycling 100% of water used.
• Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) Dust Recycling Recovery and recycling of Electric Arc Furnace Dust and other zinc-bearing by-products from the steel industry using Waelz kiln technology. Provides a circular economy solution that reduces natural resource extraction—every ton recycled avoids extraction of two tons of zinc ore.
• Oxzinal 802 (High-Purity Zinc Oxide) Zinc Oxide with 99.8% purity minimum and 80.2% zinc content minimum. Multi-industry grade for ceramics, rubber, paint, animal nutrition, lubricants, chemical, and pharmaceutical applications. Available with propionic acid treatment.

Quantifiable outcome

• For every ton of EAF dust recycled, two tons of zinc ore extraction is avoided
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jean Goldschmidt InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Joint venture formed in 2020 between Jean Goldschmidt International and Zinc Nacional to acquire and operate Harz Oxid GmbH, an EAF dust recycling plant in Goslar, Germany that produces waelz zinc oxide.
• ÇinkomcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Joint venture between Zinc Nacional and Çinkom (Turkish EAF dust recycling leader) to form TURKMEX. Construction of recycling plant started in 2017 at Aliağa Port, Turkey. Combines expertise in Waelz technology with regional market presence.
• Heritage Environmental ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Zinc Nacional/SDR partnered with Heritage Environmental Services in 2017 to build WSP (Waelz Processing) facility in Indiana, USA. WSP uses state-of-the-art technology to provide steel mills with recycling operations for zinc recovery from by-products.
• Panel ReyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Sister company within Grupo PROMAX. Zinc Nacional opened its recycled paperboard mill in 1999 to vertically integrate with Panel Rey's drywall panel manufacturing operations.
• SDR (Steel Dust Recycling)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009SDR (Steel Dust Recycling) became part of Zinc Nacional in 2009, with over 25 years of experience in EAF dust recycling. Located in Millport, Alabama, USA. SDR specializes in recycling Electric Arc Furnace dust from steel industry Mini-Mills, operating Waelz kilns for zinc recovery.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Befesa: Spanish-German company operating Waelz kilns for EAF dust recycling and zinc oxide (Waelz oxide) production across Europe, Turkey, and other regions. Directly competes with Zinc Nacional in the same EAF dust recycling and zinc oxide value chain, serving steel mills and downstream zinc compound customers.
• Çinkom: Turkish leader in EAF dust recycling and Zinc Nacional's JV partner in TURKMEX. Operates competing Waelz kiln capacity in Turkey and shares the same circular-economy value proposition of converting steel industry by-products into zinc oxide.
• Zochem: North American zinc oxide producer serving rubber, ceramics, chemicals, and pharmaceutical applications. Directly competes with Zinc Nacional's Oxzinal and Maximo zinc oxide product lines, particularly in North American rubber/tire and chemical markets.
• Silox: Indian zinc oxide producer offering French Process and American Process zinc oxide for rubber, ceramics, paint, and agricultural applications. Directly comparable to Zinc Nacional in product portfolio, production methods, and customer base.
• Heritage Environmental Services: US environmental services company and Zinc Nacional's JV partner in WSP (Waelz Sustainability Partners) in Indiana. Operates in the same EAF dust recycling space and shares the same steel-industry customer base.
• Jean Goldschmidt International: International metals recycling company and Zinc Nacional's JV partner in Harz Oxid GmbH (Germany). Specializes in non-ferrous metal recycling including zinc from steel industry by-products, directly comparable to Zinc Nacional's recycling operations.

Broad incumbents

• Umicore: Belgian global materials technology company with a zinc chemicals business producing zinc oxide and other zinc compounds. Operates at much larger scale across automotive, chemicals, and recycling, with broader portfolio than Zinc Nacional's zinc-focused specialty offerings.
• Nyrstar: European multi-metals smelter producing zinc and lead from concentrates, with downstream zinc chemicals operations. Provides a broader integrated mining-to-chemicals value chain comparison versus Zinc Nacional's zinc-chemicals focus.
• Boliden: Swedish metals company operating zinc mines, smelters, and producing zinc-based chemicals. Larger and vertically integrated from mining through zinc products, with overlapping customer industries (galvanizing, chemicals, agriculture) versus Zinc Nacional.
• Harsco Corporation: US-based industrial services company serving steel producers with environmental solutions including EAF dust management. While broader in scope than Zinc Nacional, Harsco overlaps in providing circular-economy services to the same steel-mill customer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ZincNacional
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zinc-nacional-s-a-

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Zinc Nacional