What Italiana Coke does

Italiana Coke S.r.l. is a privately held Italian industrial producer founded in 1897 and headquartered in Cairo Montenotte (Savona), Italy, with legal offices in Genova. It is the only non-integrated coking plant in Italy, meaning it operates independently of any steel mill complex. The company produces hard coke through the dry distillation of imported fossil coal, yielding three core products: metallurgical coke, blast furnace (steelmaking) coke, and foundry coke, sold in multiple size gradations. A 24 MW cogeneration plant, installed in 1998 and upgraded in 2003, generates 150 million kWh/year of electricity from coking by-product gases, sold to Italy's national grid and Northeast Italian enterprises. Additional by-products include raw tar (catrame grezzo) and ammonium sulfate (solfato di ammonio).

The company serves B2B industrial customers across metallurgy, steel manufacturing, foundries, ferroalloy production, sugar refining, chemical processing (Solvay process), and rock wool production. Distribution spans 43+ countries via an integrated logistics chain that includes the wholly-owned Terminal Alti Fondali Savona bulk terminal and the Funivie S.p.A. cableway connecting Savona port to the Cairo Montenotte cokery, enabling multimodal road, rail, and naval transport including direct bulk-carrier loading. In 2020, Italiana Coke sold over 335,000 tonnes of coke, of which 205,000 tonnes was foundry coke, with 250,000 tonnes exported and 85,000 tonnes sold domestically.

Italiana Coke is jointly owned by the Ascheri family (61.3%) and Gruppo Metalcorp (38.7%, since 2022), following the company's exit from a concordato in bianco restructuring process initiated in 2016. The turnaround restored production capacity to over 430,000 tonnes/year by 2017. The company holds ISO 9001 (since 1993), ISO 14001 (since 2007), and Gender Equality Certification (UNI PdR 125:2022), along with an Integrated Environmental Authorization (AIA, renewed 2021). Over 45 million EUR has been invested in environmental technology over the last seven years, including a 30 million EUR emission abatement system.

Name

Italiana Coke

Legal name

Italiana Coke S.r.l.

Website

https://italianacoke.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Italiana Coke is Italy's only non-integrated coking plant, producing foundry, metallurgical, and blast furnace coke via dry distillation of imported coal for industrial customers in 43+ countries across metallurgy, foundry, ferroalloy, chemical, and sugar sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Coke and Metallurgical Fuels

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325)

SIC

Steel Works, Blast Furnaces & Rolling Mills (Coke Ovens) (3312)

akta.pro primary industry

Coal & Metallurgical Coke Marketing & Trading (IMAKAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coal & Coke Terminals (TLAHABAC), Metallurgical Coal Mining (Coking/PCI Coal) (IMAKAIAB)

Keywords

• Industrial coke production
• Metallurgical coke supply
• Foundry coke manufacturing
• Coal distillation services
• Blast furnace fuels

Headquarters

HQ city

Cairo Montenotte

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Coke Product Sales: Sale of three types of coke: metallurgical coke, blast furnace coke, and foundry coke. These are the primary revenue generators, sold in various size gradations to industrial customers.
2. By-product Sales: Sale of by-products from the distillation process including raw tar (catrame grezzo) and ammonium sulfate (solfato di ammonio).
3. Electricity Generation and Sales: Cogeneration plant produces electricity sold to the national distribution grid and to enterprises in Northeast Italy, utilizing by-product gases from the coking process.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Italiana Coke operates the only coking plant in Italy not integrated into a steel mill, producing three grades of coke (metallurgical, blast furnace, and foundry) via dry distillation of imported coal. It also sells by-products including raw tar, ammonium sulfate, and electricity generated by its 24 MW cogeneration plant. The integrated supply chain links the Port of Savona with the Cairo Montenotte cokery.

Product overview

Italiana Coke operates as the only Italian coking plant not integrated into a steel facility, producing three main types of coke (foundry coke, metallurgical coke, and steelmaking coke) through dry distillation of imported coal. The company produces various sizes of coke for different industrial applications including metal fusion, blast furnaces, and foundry operations. Additionally, the production process yields by-products including raw tar, ammonium sulfate, and electric energy from its 24 MW cogeneration plant. The company utilizes an integrated logistics system to serve European, Mediterranean, and intercontinental markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coke di Fonderia (Foundry Coke) Coke produced through dry distillation in multiple size gradations, intended for industrial foundry customers requiring consistent quality coke for metal fusion and casting processes.
• Coke Metallurgico (Metallurgical Coke) Metallurgical coke produced through dry distillation of imported coal, supplied in multiple size gradations for general industrial metallurgical applications.
• Coke Siderurgico (Steelmaking / Blast Furnace Coke) Steelmaking coke in size gradation 25/100mm, supplied as the primary fuel and reducing agent for blast furnace iron and steel production.
• Catrame Grezzo (Raw Tar) Raw coal tar by-product of the dry distillation process, supplied as an industrial raw material to distillation plants producing light, medium, and heavy oils, lubricants, and chemical synthesis feedstocks.
• Solfato di Ammonio (Ammonium Sulfate) Ammonium sulfate produced as a by-product of the coking process, supplied primarily as a fertilizer for alkaline soils.
• Energia Elettrica (Electric Energy)

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced and sold over 335,000 tonnes of coke in 2020, with 205,000 tonnes being foundry coke
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Terminal Alti Fondali Savona S.r.l.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWholly-owned subsidiary forming the coal logistics chain that connects the port of Savona with Val Bormida since 1911. Handles loading, unloading, transport and storage of bulk cargo. First environmentalized bulk terminal in Italy.
• European Logistics CompaniesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConsolidated partnerships with European logistics companies enabling guaranteed delivery to all European countries and overseas destinations including Mediterranean, Far East, and America.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SunCoke Energy: Independent US-based merchant coke producer serving steel and foundry customers, the closest direct analog to Italiana Coke's non-integrated merchant cokery model with diversified end-markets.

Broad incumbents

• ArcelorMittal: World's largest integrated steelmaker with captive coking operations across Europe; competes for the same blast furnace and metallurgical coke customers Italiana Coke serves, but as part of a broader steel portfolio.
• ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe: Major German integrated steelmaker with captive coke plants, representing both a key German customer for Italiana Coke and a competitor for merchant coke supply in Europe.
• Voestalpine: Austrian integrated steel producer with coke oven operations, one of Italiana Coke's European customers and a competing European cokery operator with similar metallurgical/foundry exposures.
• Tata Steel: Global integrated steelmaker with captive coking capacity across Europe (including the UK/IJmuiden); serves overlapping customer segments and competes in the European metallurgical coke market.
• Mechel: Russian mining and metals group with coking coal and coke operations; comparable as a major metallurgical coke producer with international export reach overlapping Italiana Coke's customer base.
• Nippon Steel: Largest Asian integrated steelmaker with global coke operations; competes globally for foundry and metallurgical coke market share and is a benchmark for industry technical standards.
• JSW Steel: India's largest steelmaker with growing international coke requirements; both a potential customer in extra-European markets Italiana Coke serves and a comparable vertically integrated producer.
• Cleveland-Cliffs: US integrated iron and steel producer with metallurgical coke operations; comparable in end-market exposure (blast furnace, foundry, automotive steel supply chains).

Others

• Terminal Alti Fondali Savona: Wholly-owned subsidiary of Italiana Coke operating the bulk terminal at the Port of Savona; included as an ecosystem enabler to illustrate integrated supply chain rather than a market competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 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 Italiana Coke