Sintex Minerals

What Sintex Minerals does

Sintex Minerals is the global distribution subsidiary of the Brazil-based Curimbaba Group, focused on premium bauxite-based ceramic proppants for oil & gas hydraulic fracturing and high-performance industrial minerals (fused aluminum oxides, silicon carbide, mullite) for the abrasives, foundry, refractories, and adsorbents industries. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Houston, Texas, the company operates as the exclusive North American distributor of Curimbaba Proppants, backed by 300+ million tons of proven high-grade bauxite reserves held by parent Mineração Curimbaba and continuous manufacturing in Poços de Caldas, Brazil. Distribution spans 40+ countries via ocean container shipping to US distribution centers and final truckload delivery to enterprise customers.

Core products include SinterMax Ultra High Strength proppant, engineered to maintain structural integrity under closure stresses above 20,000 psi; SinterBall Bauxite, a mechanical flowback-prevention blend of angular and spherical grains; and the full Elfusa abrasives and refractories line distributed in North America and Canada. Every 3,300 lb production lot is tested under API RP60 with QC certificates attached to each bulk bag, and composite samples are retained for six months at the Rosenberg, Texas distribution center laboratory. The company also operates a closed-loop recycling service that collects spent abrasives from North American customers and returns them to Elfusa in Brazil for re-processing into virgin aluminum oxide.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time bulk product sales to enterprise oil & gas fracturing operators (primary vertical) and to industrial buyers in abrasives, foundry, refractories, and adsorbent end-markets, with pricing on direct inquiry. Go-to-market combines enterprise field sales in North America with a channel-partner distribution network globally. The company is privately held within the Curimbaba Group, holds ISO 9001 certification with ISO 14001 in progress, and reports under the GRI sustainability framework.

Name

Sintex Minerals

Legal name

Sintex Minerals

Website

https://sintexminerals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Sintex Minerals is a Houston-based distributor of premium bauxite ceramic proppants for oil & gas hydraulic fracturing and industrial minerals for abrasives, foundry, refractories, and adsorbent applications, serving 40+ countries as part of Brazil's Curimbaba Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oilfield Proppants & Industrial Minerals

NAICS

Ground or Treated Mineral and Earth Manufacturing (327992), All Other Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (32799)

SIC

Wholesale-Metals & Minerals (No Petroleum) (5050), Abrasive, Asbestos & Misc Nonmetallic Mineral Prods (3290)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Minerals Trading (Phosphate, Potash, Sulfur, Borates, Barite, Talc) (IMAKAJAF)

Keywords

• Bauxite proppants
• Oilfield minerals
• Industrial abrasives
• Refractory materials
• Proppant recycling

Headquarters

HQ city

Rosenberg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ceramic Proppants Distribution: Global distribution of premium bauxite ceramic proppants for oil and gas hydraulic fracturing operations. Sintex North America is the exclusive distributor for North America market. Products shipped in 3,300 lb bulk bags via ocean containers to US distribution centers, then distributed to oil and gas customers.
2. Industrial Minerals Distribution: Distribution of high-performance industrial minerals including fused aluminum oxides (abrasives), silicon carbide, and mullite for foundry, refractories, and abrasives industries. Elfusa is the largest company in Latin America in Fused Aluminum Oxides sector.
3. Recycling Services: Sintex collects spent abrasive material from customers and ships to Brazil for recycling by Elfusa, returning high-quality virgin aluminum oxide. Circular economy service for abrasives industry.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sintex Minerals is a global distributor of premium bauxite proppants and industrial minerals, headquartered in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1993 and operating as the North American arm of Brazilian conglomerate Curimbaba Group, the company sources, manufactures, and distributes high-strength proppants for hydraulic fracturing along with fused aluminum oxides, silicon carbide, and mullite for abrasives, foundry, refractories, and adsorbents industries. The company also offers proppant recycling services and serves customers in more than 40 countries from its manufacturing base in Poços de Caldas, Brazil and its U.S. distribution center in Rosenberg, TX.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SinterMax Ultra High Strength Proppant Premium ultra-high-strength bauxite-based proppant engineered for hydraulic fracturing operations, designed to withstand high closure stresses in deep well applications for oil and gas operators.
• SinterBall Bauxite Sintered bauxite proppant used in oil and gas well stimulation, providing high conductivity and crush resistance for fracturing operations.
• Fused Aluminum Oxides High-purity fused alumina products supplied to industrial manufacturers for use in abrasive grains, grinding wheels, and refractory linings.
• Silicon Carbide Industrial-grade silicon carbide distributed for abrasive, refractory, and metallurgical applications requiring high hardness and thermal resistance.
• Mullite Refractory-grade mullite supplied for high-temperature industrial applications including furnace linings and kiln furniture.
• Proppant Recycling Services Recycling service for used hydraulic fracturing proppants, enabling oil and gas operators to recover and reuse spent proppant material, reducing waste and input costs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Structural integrity maintained under closure stresses above 20,000 psi for SinterMax Ultra High Strength Proppant
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• ElfusacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorElfusa is the largest company in Latin America in the Fused Aluminum Oxides sector. Sintex Minerals distributes Elfusa's abrasives and refractories in North America and Canada. Sintex collects spent abrasive material from customers and ships to Elfusa in Brazil for recycling into virgin aluminum oxide.
• Curimbaba GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSintex Minerals is part of the Curimbaba Group with 60+ years of history. Curimbaba Group owns and operates mines in Brazil providing vertical integration. Sintex combines operational excellence, technological innovation, and total control of the production chain with Curimbaba Group.
• Mineração CurimbabacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMineração Curimbaba owns and operates mines in Brazil from which ore is extracted for Sintex's bauxite proppants. Processing plant handles ore formulation, blending, and proppant manufacturing in Poços de Caldas, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
• Ernst & YoungsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerErnst & Young supports Curimbaba Group with periodic risk mappings and development of customized action plans for identified risks. Risk management approach encompasses financial, operational, environmental, and social risks.
• PwCsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFinancial statements audited annually by PwC, one of the world's largest auditing firms, ensuring compliance with national and international accounting standards.
• Poços de Caldas Futebol ClubeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership established to monitor and integrate young talents from Yoorin Curimbaba Football School in the Under-17 and Under-20 categories, opening doors for future professional football careers.
• Brazilian Cricket Confederation (CBC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurimbaba Group supports development of cricket in the region through Poços de Caldas Cricket Project. 90% of Brazilian Cricket Team athletes come from CBC social projects.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• U.S. Silica Holdings: Large-scale producer of silica sand and specialty minerals for oil and gas, glass, building products, and foundry. Competes with Sintex in frac sand/proppants and shares industrial minerals customers in foundry and refractories.
• Preferred Sands: Producer of premium frac sand and resin-coated proppants for oil and gas operators. Competes with Sintex in the North American proppant market with adjacent specialty products.
• Washington Mills: Manufacturer of fused aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, and other abrasive grains. Direct competitor to Sintex's distribution of Elfusa fused aluminum oxides and silicon carbide for bonded/coated abrasives in North America.
• CARBO Ceramics: One of the largest manufacturers of ceramic proppants for hydraulic fracturing, directly competing with Sintex's SinterMax line in oil and gas markets. CARBO's lightweight and high-density ceramic proppants serve the same North American shale customers as Sintex's Curimbaba-sourced products.
• Atlas Energy Solutions: Producer of high-quality frac sand and proppant logistics solutions for the Permian Basin and broader North American shale market. Competes with Sintex on proppant supply to oilfield service companies and operators.
• Covia Holdings: Formerly Fairmount Santrol, Covia is a major North American producer of frac sand and specialty mineral products including resin-coated proppants. Overlaps with Sintex in oil and gas proppant distribution and industrial minerals supply across North America.

Broad incumbents

• Saint-Gobain: Global building materials and high-performance materials group with refractories and ceramic proppant offerings through subsidiaries. Competes with Sintex in refractories and shares oilfield service customers in North America.
• Sibelco: Global material solutions company producing silica, nepheline, feldspars, ball clays, and other industrial minerals. Competes with Sintex in foundry, glass, ceramics, and abrasives mineral supply.
• Imerys: Global specialty minerals leader producing performance minerals for refractories, foundry, abrasives, and oil and gas. Overlaps with Sintex across multiple verticals (abrasives, refractories, foundry) and competes broadly in industrial mineral solutions.

Others

• Mineracao Curimbaba (parent/related): Brazilian parent of Sintex Minerals and operator of the bauxite mines and proppant manufacturing facility in Poços de Caldas. Included as a related party rather than a true competitor; share operational, ore reserves, and ESG infrastructure relevant to Sintex's supply chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Sintex Minerals