DONGKUK REFRACTORIES & STEEL CO LTD

Name

DONGKUK REFRACTORIES & STEEL CO LTD

Legal name

DONGKUK R&S CO., LTD.

Website

https://dkref.co.kr

Company type

Public

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Refractories and Fine Ceramics

NAICS

Clay Building Material and Refractories Manufacturing (327120), Clay Product and Refractory Manufacturing (3271), Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (327)

SIC

Structural Clay Products (3250)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Furnaces, Kilns & Thermal Processing Equipment (IMAHAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Refractory, Furnace & Kiln Maintenance Services (IMAIACAG)

Keywords

• Industrial refractories manufacturing
• Fine ceramics products
• Steelmaking refractory materials
• Kiln furniture saggers
• Ceramic membrane filtration

Headquarters

HQ city

Sangdong

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices9 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. Refractories Products: Sales of shaped refractories (bricks, blocks), monolithic refractories (castable, plastic, ramming mixes), and functional refractories (purging plugs, nozzles) for steelmaking and metal manufacturing industries.
2. Fine Ceramics Products: Sales of fine ceramics including alumina discs, crucibles, ceramic lining pipes, ceramic rollers, ceramic membranes, and spherical alumina for various industrial applications.
3. Kiln Furniture: Sales of saggers/setters for cathode material sintering and powder calcination used in lithium-ion battery and ceramics manufacturing.
4. Equipment and Industrial Furnaces: Sales of steelmaking equipment (tundish nozzle changers, gunning machines, mixers) and industrial furnaces (tunnel type, batch type, crucible furnaces).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Dongkuk R&S manufactures and sells refractory products (shaped bricks, monolithic castables, functional purging plugs and nozzles) and fine ceramics (alumina crucibles, CELINER ceramic-lined pipes, ceramic rollers, spherical alumina, hollow fiber ceramic membranes), along with kiln furniture saggers for lithium-ion battery cathode materials and industrial steelmaking equipment such as tundish nozzle changers, gunning machines, and electric/tunnel/batch furnaces. The products serve steel mills, non-ferrous metal manufacturers, incinerator facilities, lithium-ion battery material processors, and water treatment operators.

Product overview

DONGKUK R&S is a comprehensive refractory and fine ceramics manufacturer offering a diversified portfolio of products across four main categories: (1) Refractories including shaped products (alumina bricks, fire clay bricks, MgO bricks, SiC bricks), monolithic refractories (castables, plastics, ramming mixes, mortars), and functional refractories (purging plugs, zirconia nozzles); (2) Fine Ceramics including water/sanitary faucet components, high-purity alumina crucibles, ceramic lining pipes & elbows (CELINER), ceramic rollers, spherical alumina, and hollow fiber ceramic membranes; (3) Kiln Furniture refractories including saggers for cathode materials and ceramic calcination; and (4) Equipment including steelmaking facilities and industrial furnaces. The company serves steelmaking, nonferrous metal, incinerator, and environmental equipment industries, with recent expansion into secondary battery materials (cathode active material sagger products).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shaped Refractories Refractory bricks and blocks manufactured through careful raw material selection, optimal formulation, high-pressure forming, and high-temperature sintering. Includes burned and unburned products with high-temperature volumetric stability and thermal behavior characteristics for steelmaking, non-ferrous metals, and incinerator lining applications.
• Monolithic Refractories Unshaped refractory products for installation and repair, including castables, plastics, stamping mixes, ramming mixes, spray mixes, and mortars. Offers superior thermal insulation and spalling resistance compared to brick alternatives for steel and non-ferrous metal industries.
• Functional Refractories Specialized refractories for secondary refining processes including Purging Plugs for LF, AOD, VOD equipment and Zirconia Nozzles for continuous casting tundish applications, providing 30-65 heats per campaign depending on steelworks conditions.
• Alumina Water/Sanitary Faucets High-quality alumina ceramic components for water and sanitary faucet applications with uniform organization, high strength, hardness, abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, and electrical insulation properties.
• High Purity Alumina Crucible 99.8% alumina content crucibles for heat treatment, metal melting, glass melting, sintering of electronic materials (PZT, Ferrite), and metallurgical analysis. Supplied to Samsung SDI for PDP/fluorescent materials manufacturing and LG Chemical for secondary battery materials.
• Ceramics Lining Pipe & Elbow (CELINER) Pipes and elbows with special ceramic lining for transportation of powder, waste liquid, and gas. Features 10-20 times longer lifespan than SS/SUS products with excellent thermal, corrosion, and abrasion resistance.
• Ceramic Roller 96% alumina ceramic rollers with high thermal resistance, strength, and insulating properties for high abrasion resistance transfer systems and high temperature material handling.
• Spherical Alumina High thermal conductivity spherical alumina products (DSP-AN, DSP-AS, DSP-AE series) used as heat radiative fillers for TIM, potted resins for semiconductor/LED, heat spreaders, and functional resins.
• Hollow Fiber Ceramic Membrane World's first phase transition (phase inversion) method ceramic membranes for water treatment applications including sewage, wastewater, high-concentration polluted water, oil/petrochemical, precision chemistry, seawater desalination, drinking water, and biotech/pharmaceutical. Operates in harsh conditions including high temperature, organic solvents, strong acids and bases at relatively lower cost than existing ceramic membranes.
• Sagger for Cathode Materials Refractory saggers for burning cathode active materials (LCO, NCM, NCA, LMO) of lithium-ion secondary batteries. Features low reaction with raw materials, excellent thermal shock resistance, and low impurity content for battery material manufacturers.
• Sagger for Ceramic Calcination Refractory saggers for calcination of ceramic raw materials (alumina/zircon ball) and inorganic coloring pigment heat treatment. High purity and compact structure with excellent thermal shock resistance.
• Steelmaking Facilities and Construction Equipment Tundish Nozzle Changer (HNC), gunning machines for tundish materials, dry type spray machines, continuous castable/mortar mixers, batch type mixers, refractory cutters, and other installation equipment for steelmaking operations.
• Electric Furnace and Industrial Furnace Tunnel type furnaces (1650°C), batch type furnaces (1800°C), AC arc furnaces (350KVA), and crucible furnaces (1450°C) for steelmaking and non-ferrous metal melting applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ceramic lining pipes (CELINER) provide 10-20x longer lifespan compared to SS, SUS materials
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AGC CERAMICScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2019Japanese trading partner and ceramics manufacturer. Annual representative meeting held (AGCC meeting) with executives from both companies to discuss future business strategies. Joint discussions on future growth businesses and market opportunities.
• Zibo Dongkuk Co. Ltd (Joint Venture in China)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2008Joint venture company established in China for refractories manufacturing and sales in the Chinese market.
• Yinkou New East Refractories Co., Ltd (Joint Venture in China)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2004Joint venture company established in China for refractories production and market expansion.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• RHI Magnesita: Global leader in refractories serving steel, cement, glass, and nonferrous industries. Directly comparable as Dongkuk's primary direct competitor in shaped and monolithic refractories, but at vastly larger global scale.
• Vesuvius plc: Global engineered ceramics and refractories supplier for steel and foundry end markets. Closely comparable product portfolio (functional refractories, flow control, steelmaking consumables) overlapping directly with Dongkuk's functional refractories and purging plug lines.
• HarbisonWalker International: North America's largest refractory supplier serving steel, glass, and industrial end markets. Comparable in product breadth across shaped/monolithic/functional refractories, but operating primarily in the Americas with no current Asia overlap.
• Morgan Advanced Materials: Global manufacturer of advanced ceramics and refractory products for industrial, electronics, and thermal management applications. Comparable in the fine ceramics (alumina crucibles, ceramic rollers, spherical alumina) and kiln furniture categories.
• CoorsTek: Global technical ceramics manufacturer serving semiconductor, medical, and industrial markets. Comparable in fine ceramics and engineered ceramic components that overlap with Dongkuk's ceramic membrane, alumina crucible, and CELINER product lines.
• NGK Insulators, Ltd. Japanese ceramics manufacturer producing industrial ceramics, honeycomb substrates, and refractory-related products. Comparable in fine ceramics and high-temperature industrial ceramics that overlap with Dongkuk's ceramic membrane and alumina product range.
• Saint-Gobain: Global building materials and high-performance materials group with a refractory/processing ceramics footprint. Comparable as a broad industrial ceramics incumbent whose portfolio overlaps with Dongkuk's industrial furnace and shaped refractory offerings.

Direct peers

• Shinagawa Refractories Co., Ltd. Major Japanese refractories manufacturer with deep Asia steel industry penetration. Directly comparable product mix (shaped, monolithic, functional refractories) and overlapping customer base with Dongkuk via the AGC CERAMICS partnership channel.
• Krosaki Harima Corporation: Japanese refractory and ceramics producer serving steel, cement, and incinerator industries. Comparable in product portfolio and regional Asian focus; competes with Dongkuk for the same Northeast Asian steel accounts.

Regional players

• POSCO Future M (formerly POSCO Chemicals): Korean materials company producing refractories and battery cathode materials. Directly comparable as a Korean competitor in both the traditional refractory market and the lithium-ion battery cathode sagger / material space where Dongkuk is also expanding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 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 DONGKUK REFRACTORIES & STEEL CO LTD