James Durrans Group

What James Durrans Group does

James Durrans Group is a UK-headquartered, family-owned manufacturer of specialist carbon-based materials serving primarily the global foundry industry, with secondary exposure to automotive/friction, forging, steel manufacturing, infrastructure/earthing, oil & gas, and specialty chemicals. Founded in 1863 and headquartered in Penistone, the group operates 9 manufacturing sites across the UK (4), Germany, China, India, South Africa, and France, complemented by a global network of over 20 agents and distributors. Its product portfolio spans recarburisers (PREMCO, PROCARB, CARBON 99 lines), refractory coatings (RWB water-based, RSB alcohol-based, Diecote die-casting), blackings, green and core sand additives, friction materials, forging lubricants (Durcol series), Cathonite cathodic protection products, Marconite conductive earthing aggregate, natural graphite products, and precision-machined graphite components.

The group's technology platform is built on proprietary carbon processing know-how accumulated over 160+ years, with vertically integrated capabilities including shaft kiln calcination (Sasolburg, in cooperation with Sasol), FE-free micronisation jet mills (Penistone), custom graphite grading and screening (Willich), and precision graphite machining (Scunthorpe). Recent capital investment has gone into a Panalytical Aeris X-ray diffraction machine (2024) and a new state-of-the-art laboratory, alongside academic collaborations with the University of Sheffield and University of Freiberg Foundry Institute. The group holds ISO 9001 across all major sites, ISO 14001 at Willich, and ISO 45001 at its UK entities, and has maintained a 30-year accreditation relationship with LRQA.

The business model is direct B2B manufacturing and distribution: bespoke technical advice and custom product formulations are sold to enterprise foundry and industrial customers worldwide through owned sales offices in six countries and a distributor/agent channel covering 25+ additional markets. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is structured around bespoke multi-year supply arrangements with packaging options ranging from 12.5 kg bags to 1,000 kg big bags. The group is exploring adjacency expansion into lithium-ion battery anode materials (APC-funded 30,000 TPA feasibility programme announced 2020) while remaining under continuous family ownership with no external institutional investment.

Name

James Durrans Group

Legal name

James Durrans & Sons Ltd.

Website

https://durransgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1863

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

James Durrans Group is a family-owned UK manufacturer, founded 1863, producing specialist carbon-based materials — recarburisers, refractory coatings, blackings, lubricants, and machined graphite components — for foundries and industrial manufacturers across 9 global sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Carbonaceous Materials for Foundries

NAICS

Carbon and Graphite Product Manufacturing (335991), All Other Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (32799)

SIC

Abrasive, Asbestos & Misc Nonmetallic Mineral Prods (3290), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Functional Carbon Fillers (Carbon Black, Graphite) (IMAEAFAO)

Keywords

• Foundry consumables
• Recarburiser manufacturing
• Refractory coatings
• Carbon-based materials
• Graphite products

Headquarters

HQ city

Penistone

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 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. Carbon-based Materials Manufacturing and Sales: The company manufactures and sells carbonaceous materials including recarburisers, refractory coatings, blackings, green sand additives, core sand additives, friction products, lubricants, graphitic products, and machined graphite components to foundries and industrial manufacturers worldwide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

James Durrans Group manufactures and sells a wide range of carbon-based industrial materials for foundries and allied industries, including recarburisers, refractory coatings, blackings, green sand and core sand additives, friction products, forging lubricants, Cathonite for cathodic protection, Marconite for earthing, natural graphite products, and precision-machined graphite components. Products are produced at 9 manufacturing sites worldwide with bespoke technical advice and customer-tailored grades offered as standard.

Product overview

James Durrans Group is a manufacturer of carbonaceous materials and foundry consumables established in 1863, operating as a single unified product portfolio rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering comprises recarburisers (carbon raisers including PREMCO, PROCARB, and CARBOSTEEL lines) for adjusting carbon content in liquid iron; refractory coatings (water-based RWB, alcohol-based RSB, and die-casting Diecote lines) for mould surface protection; blackings for furnace and ladle protection; green sand additives including coal dust and bentonite blends (Pulverbond G, Pulverblend series) for foundry moulding; core sand additives for sand core applications; friction products (graphite, coke, and blended carbons) for brake materials; lubricants (Durcol water-based and oil-based graphite dispersions) for forging; Cathonite for cathodic protection; Marconite for electrical earthing; natural graphite products (flake, amorphous, ultra-fine, expanded); and machined graphite components for furnaces, rotors, anodes, and extrusion tooling. The company operates 9 manufacturing sites worldwide across UK, Germany, China, India, South Africa, and France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Carbon International: Subsidiary brand for carbon products including machined graphite components, graphite anodes, and various carbon materials.
• Cathonite
• Marconite
• PREMCOPremco SGPremco 10Premco 30Premco 40Premco 50
• PROCARBPROCARB SGPROCARB SGPPROCARB LSNPROCARB 99
• Durcol

Products and services

• Recarburisers Carbon raiser materials (synthetic graphite, petroleum coke, natural graphite, anthracite-based, including PREMCO and PROCARB branded lines) used to adjust carbon content in liquid iron during steelmaking and iron casting, supplied to foundries in 12.5kg, 25kg, 500kg, and 1000kg Big Bag packaging.
• Refractory Coatings Form coatings composed of fine refractory minerals and additives suspended in water or alcohol carriers, including RWB (water-based), RSB (alcohol-based) and Diecote (die-casting) lines, designed for iron, steel, and non-ferrous foundries to improve casting separation, metallurgical properties, temperature stability, and surface quality.
• Blackings Carbon-based protective coatings applied to furnace linings, ladles, and runner systems to prevent molten metal adhesion, provide insulation, and ensure clean casting surfaces. The first patent for blacking products dates from 6 December 1867.
• Green Sand Additives Coal dust and bentonite mixtures used as moulding sand additives (Pulverbond G bentonite and Pulverblend formulations) for green sand mould systems to create a reducing atmosphere, prevent penetration, and achieve smooth casting surfaces in iron and steel foundries.
• Core Sand Additives High-quality coarser carbon dust for foundry core sand applications, supplied as an additive for quartz sands to mitigate silicon expansion effects, available in various grades from 16# to 240#.
• Friction Products Carbon-based materials (natural graphite, synthetic graphite, petroleum coke, metallurgical coke, and blended carbons) for brake pad and friction material manufacturing, sold to OEMs, OE spares suppliers, and aftermarket friction product manufacturers in the automotive, railway, and aerospace industries.
• Lubricants Durcol graphite-based lubricants for the forging industry including water-based dispersions (Durcol W series), oil-based products (Durcol MO series), and specialty lubricants, used for hot forging, cold forging, extrusion, and precision metal forming of ferrous and non-ferrous alloys.
• Cathonite Specially formulated petroleum coke and metallurgical coke products (CS, DB, and SP grades) for impressed current cathodic protection systems in deep well, surface, and high fixed carbon applications, serving oil & gas, utilities, and infrastructure owners.
• Marconite Premium electrically conductive aggregate for reliable long-term earthing applications that delivers stable, low-resistance performance (0.001 Ωm compared with 3 Ωm for bentonite) without relying on water, specified for challenging ground conditions across infrastructure, utilities, and industrial sites.
• Natural Graphite Products Natural graphite products including flake graphite, amorphous graphite, ultra-fine graphite, and expanded graphite, serving foundry refractories, friction materials, fire-resistant materials, and chemical processes.
• Machined Graphite Components Precision-machined graphite components produced at the Scunthorpe facility including furnace parts (heating elements, connectors, hearth furniture), rotors and lances for metal treatment, cathodic anodes for corrosion protection, and runout plates for aluminium extrusion.
• PROCARB SG Recarburiser Recarburiser produced via the Sasolburg shaft kiln calcination plant, offering low sulphur and nitrogen content, excellent solubility, and high carbon yield for ductile and grey iron foundries.

Quantifiable outcome

• PROCARB SG delivers low sulphur and nitrogen content, excellent solubility, and high carbon yield, resulting in lower production costs for ductile and grey iron foundries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Pine Pacific Corporation Ltd (Thailand)majorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2019Licensing agreement signed in June 2019 for the production of refractory coatings. Pine Pacific built a new coating plant in Bangkok, enabling refractory coating development to adapt and meet the changing requirements of the foundry industry. The facility provides a fast route for new developments and adaptations to meet the ever-changing needs of the foundry community.
• Sasol (South Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Cooperation with one of the world's largest energy groups and specialist in the liquefaction of hard coal, for the construction of a shaft kiln calcination plant in Sasolburg, South Africa. This expanded the product portfolio with PROCARB SG - a recarburiser with low sulphur and nitrogen content, excellent solubility, and high carbon yield, benefiting customers in ductile and grey iron foundries.
• SMC Sociéte Minière de Charlemagne (France)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Durrans GmbH acquired the French JV partner SMC's production plant in Karlsruhe, Germany in 2012 for processing metallurgical coke and anthracite coal. This facility was later sold in 2016.
• RST Bentonite & Minerals (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Trading partner based at Duisburg Port, one of Europe's largest inland ports. RST has its own grinding facility with 10 MT/hr capacity, producing bentonite/coal mixtures and further additives. ISO 9001:2015 certified. RST provides the Bilston plant with processed bentonite products. Duisburg site has trimodal terminal (water/rail/road).
• Durrans RMS Pty. Ltd (South Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Joint business venture between the Durrans Group and Resistant Materials Services (PTY) LTD, based in Boksburg, South Africa. Specialises in the manufacture and distribution of refractory coatings and refractory parting mediums (water and alcohol based). Also distributes carbon products such as speciality anthracite powders, coal dusts, petroleum coke, metallurgical coke and recarburisers.
• MPM-Durrans Refracoat Pvt. Ltd (India)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1984Joint venture between Durrans Group and MPM Pvt. Ltd, based in Nagpur, India. MPM was established in 1984 and has grown to become one of India's leading manufacturers of foundry consumables. The JV warehouses and distributes carbon products manufactured by the parent company in the UK, and produces refractory coatings.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• GrafTech International: US-listed manufacturer of graphite electrodes and refractory products serving steelmakers and industrial customers. Comparable in carbon and refractory product categories serving metallurgical end markets.
• Tokai Carbon: Major global producer of carbon black, graphite electrodes and fine carbon products serving automotive, steel and friction industries. Overlaps with Durrans in carbon black (blacking) and graphite materials.
• Mersen: French-listed global manufacturer of specialty graphite and carbon components for industrial, energy and electronics markets. Comparable in machined graphite and carbon specialties.
• SGL Carbon: Public German manufacturer of specialty graphite, carbon fibers and composites used in industrial, automotive and battery applications. Broader portfolio but overlaps with Durrans on machined graphite components and carbon specialties.
• Morgan Advanced Materials: UK-listed manufacturer of advanced ceramics, carbon and graphite components for industrial, transportation and energy markets. Overlaps with Durrans on machined graphite parts and foundry consumables.
• Imerys Graphite & Carbon: A division of Imerys SA producing natural and synthetic graphite, carbon black and conductive carbons for industrial markets. Larger, more diversified incumbent overlapping with Durrans in carbon materials and refractories.

Regional players

• Ronson Industries (Carbon Products): Specialty producer of carbon-based foundry products including recarburisers, casting fluxes and coatings serving North American foundry markets. Comparable in core foundry consumables though geographic footprint differs.

Direct peers

• Asbury Carbons: US-based, family-owned manufacturer of specialty carbon and graphite products serving foundry, lubrication, friction and metallurgical markets. Highly comparable to Durrans across recarburisers, graphite, and carbon black product lines.
• Superior Graphite: Manufacturer of synthetic graphite, calcined petroleum coke and carbon-based solutions for foundry, steelmaking, friction and battery applications. Directly comparable in recarburisers and graphite machining.
• Toyo Tanso: Japanese producer of specialty graphite materials and machined graphite components for industrial, semiconductor and metallurgical customers. Comparable in machined graphite and carbon-based consumables.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DurransGroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/DurransGroup/1502836289952445
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/james-durrans-&-sons-limited

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries7 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 James Durrans Group