What Gouda Refractories does

Gouda Refractories is a Netherlands-based manufacturer of high-grade refractory materials serving high-temperature industrial processes. Founded in 1901, the company designs, engineers, and produces refractory bricks (50-60 grades), monolithics (400+ grades), precast shapes, coatings (AN-Seal series), mortars, gunning mixes, and mouldables for use up to 1,870°C. Production is concentrated at two automated facilities in Gouda (bricks and precast shapes, with in-house R&D and engineering) and Geldermalsen (monolithics), totaling 65,000 metric tonnes of annual firing capacity, complemented by a sales office in Bochum, Germany and sister installation entities in Belgium, Germany, Sweden, and Portugal.

The company sells on a quote-based, custom-engineered B2B model with five dedicated sales verticals: Aluminium, Steel, Energy & Chemicals, Environmental, and Cement. Customers include Shell, Esso, Philips, Stork, Ketjen, Royal Netherlands Navy, and Dutch Railways, with relationships stretching back to 1959. Beyond products, Gouda supplies design and engineering (AutoCAD/Inventor, Ansys FEA), in-house laboratory R&D with joint research alongside TNO, DIFK, and LUCIDEON, API 936/VCA-qualified field supervision, turnkey installation through its sister companies, and an annual three-day refractory training course.

Revenue mechanics combine one-time product sales with engineering and installation services. Since October 2024 the company has operated as part of Shinagawa Refra Group, a Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed Japanese refractory conglomerate, while retaining operational independence. Gouda Refractories Group B.V. is the privately held parent, with ~275 employees and growth capital provided by Gilde Equity Management from 2021 until the Shinagawa acquisition. The most recent inorganic move was the July 2025 acquisition of International Thermal Refractories (ITR) in Portugal, expanding installation capacity.

Name

Gouda Refractories

Legal name

Gouda Refractories Group B.V.

Website

https://goudarefractories.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1901

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Gouda Refractories is a 1901-founded Dutch manufacturer of high-grade refractory bricks, monolithics, precast shapes, and coatings for high-temperature industrial processes up to 1,870°C, serving aluminium, steel, energy & chemicals, environmental, and cement customers across Europe and worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Refractories

NAICS

Clay Building Material and Refractories Manufacturing (32712)

SIC

Structural Clay Products (3250)

akta.pro primary industry

Refractory Bricks & Firebricks (IMADABAG)

Keywords

• Refractory bricks manufacturing
• Refractory monolithics supply
• High temperature industrial linings
• Precast refractory shapes
• Industrial furnace installation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Gouda

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Refractory Materials Manufacturing and Sales: Gouda Refractories designs, engineers, manufactures and delivers refractory bricks, monolithics, precast shapes, coatings, and customer-specific total solutions. Revenue is generated through product sales and associated engineering services for high-temperature industrial applications.
2. Engineering and Installation Services: Turnkey solutions including design, engineering, installation, and supervision services for refractory linings. Services include inspection and supervision (API 936 and VCA qualified supervisors) and complete turnkey packages from initial design to dry-out.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gouda Refractories designs, engineers, manufactures and delivers refractory bricks (50–60 grades), refractory monolithics (over 400 grades), precast shapes, AN-Seal coatings, and other lining materials rated for high-temperature industrial applications up to 1,870°C. The company also provides turnkey design, engineering, installation, inspection, supervision, R&D, and training services for refractory linings in customer plants.

Product overview

Gouda Refractories is a refractory materials manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services. The core product lines include Refractory Bricks (50-60 grades including fireclay, high alumina, andalusite, bauxite, corundum, and specialty bricks), Refractory Monolithics (over 400 grades including Dense Castables under the CURON brand, Low Cement Castables under VIBRON and FLUCON brands, Insulating Castables under GOLITE brand, Mouldables under CURAS, Mortars, and Gunning Materials), Precast Shapes (custom prefabricated elements), and Coatings (AN-Seal series including non-wetting, anti-acid, heat reflective, and protective coatings). Services include Design & Engineering (AutoCAD/3D modeling, thermal calculations), Research & Development (advanced laboratory testing, joint research with institutes), Logistic Services (strategic location near Rotterdam), Inspection & Supervision (API 936 and VCA qualified), Installation Services (turnkey solutions through sister companies), and Refractory Training Course. The company operates production facilities in Gouda (bricks and precast shapes) and Geldermalsen (monolithics), both in the Netherlands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CURON: Regular cement castables with calcium oxide content of 2.5% or higher, and special high alumina dense castables for the aluminium industry.
• VIBRON
• FLUCON
• GOLITE
• VELOX
• ALU-CAST
• CURAS
• AN-Seal
• GOLITE L:H:V

Products and services

• Refractory Bricks Wide range of approximately 50 to 60 distinct refractory brick grades, including Medium-High-Superduty Bricks, High Alumina Fireclay Bricks, Andalusite Bricks, Bauxite Bricks, Corundum Bricks, (Ultra) Low Porosity Bricks, Chromium Bricks, and Special Insulating Bricks, manufactured in Gouda with a firing capacity of 65,000 metric tonnes.
• Refractory Monolithics Extensive selection of unshaped refractory products including castables, gunning compositions, plastics, ramming mixes, and mortars; over 400 monolithic grades encompassing insulating, dense, low cement, and self-flowing monolithics.
• Precast Shapes Prefabricated refractory products produced by the specialized Prefab Department for shapes that cannot be pressed due to shape, dimension, or quantity constraints, made of special raw materials and pre-fired above 1,600°C.
• Coatings (AN-Seal Series) Special coating products including AN-Seal 50 NW (non-wetting), AN-Seal 70 AR (anti-acid), AN-Seal 85 CR (chromium-based mortar), AN-Seal 58 HR (zirconium-based heat reflective), and AN-Seal 80 FA (high aluminium oxide) for protecting equipment and extending refractory life.
• Other Lining Materials Additional materials supplied through an established supplier network including ferrules, ceramic felts, ceramic/bio soluble fiber blankets and modules, lower grade insulating bricks, vacuum formed ceramic blocks, and anchors.
• Design & Engineering Service Engineering services including total refractory system design using AutoCAD (2D) and Inventor (3D), anchoring and support systems design, mould design, installation documentation, thermal design calculations, and FEA (Ansys) heat transfer/stress calculations.
• Research & Development Service Advanced laboratory for developing and testing refractory recipes to match customer process requirements, conducting post-mortem examinations, joint research with TNO, DIFK, and LUCIDEON, and offering refractory training course.
• Logistic Services Complete logistic solutions leveraging strategic location near major international transport hubs including Port of Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Schiphol Airport, with highway, river, and railway connections; over 80% of raw materials arrive by water.
• Inspection & Supervision Service API 936 and VCA qualified supervisors with at least 15 years hands-on field experience, deployed globally to advise on installation, verify procedures, inspect equipment, and train operators and maintenance staff.
• Installation Services Turnkey solutions from initial design to dry-out delivered through a worldwide network of experienced installation sister companies, providing complete installation of refractory linings.
• Refractory Training Course Annual three-day general refractory training course covering introduction to refractory materials, classification, production, installation, wear mechanisms, testing, and practical training including casting, gunning, and bricklaying.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% increase in production capacity with new tunnel kiln (2013)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Thermal Refractories (ITR)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2025In July 2025, Gouda Refractories Group acquired ITR, a company specializing in the European refractory industry with skilled experts dedicated to installation and maintenance of refractory linings. Together with Shinagawa, ITR acquisition supports the ambition to grow activities while maintaining high service, quality, and know-how levels.
• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnowledge exchange and joint research with TNO to increase the quality and applicability of refractory recipes.
• DIFK (Dutch Institute for Fire Technology)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnowledge exchange and joint research with DIFK to enhance refractory testing and fire technology capabilities.
• LUCIDEONminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research institute collaboration for knowledge exchange and joint research to improve refractory material quality and applications.
• Engineering Companies and LicensorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing relationships with engineering companies, technology licensors, local agents, distributors, and installers worldwide form an international network supporting customer projects from design through installation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• RHI Magnesita: World's largest refractory producer serving steel, cement, and nonferrous industries; directly overlaps Gouda's product categories at far greater global scale.
• Vesuvius: Global supplier of refractory and molten-metal flow-control products for steel and foundry markets, competing in the same high-temperature lining space as Gouda.
• Shinagawa Refractories: Tokyo-listed parent and global refractory manufacturer for steel, cement, and glass; same core product domain as Gouda, now its corporate owner.
• Saint-Gobain: Diversified building and high-performance materials group with refractory and ceramic lines that overlap parts of Gouda's portfolio within a much wider business.

Direct peers

• Imerys (Calderys): Calderys is a leading global monolithic refractory and installation provider for industrial high-temperature processes, directly comparable to Gouda's castables and turnkey lining business.
• Morgan Advanced Materials (Thermal Ceramics): Manufactures refractory and insulating materials for furnaces and industrial heat processes, overlapping Gouda's insulating castables, fiber, and coating offerings.
• Krosaki Harima: Japanese refractory maker producing bricks and monolithics for steel and industrial furnaces, directly comparable in product scope to Gouda.
• HarbisonWalker International (HWI / Calderys Americas): Largest North American supplier of refractory bricks, monolithics, and precast shapes with installation services, mirroring Gouda's full-solution model.
• Resco Products: Manufacturer of refractory brick, castables, and specialty products for petrochemical, steel, and cement plants, a close functional match to Gouda.

Emerging players

• Plibrico: Specialist in monolithic refractories and engineered installation for industrial furnaces, overlapping Gouda's castables and turnkey lining niche at smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gouda-refractories

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Gouda Refractories