AGC Ceramics

What AGC Ceramics does

AGC Ceramics Co., Ltd. is a Japanese manufacturer of refractory materials and fine ceramics, established in its current legal form on April 1, 2002, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of AGC Inc. (the world's largest glass manufacturer group) and tracing its refractory heritage back to 1916. The company operates across five vertical segments: glass, incinerator, aluminum, cement, and fine ceramics. Core offerings include fused cast refractories (notably the ZB-X950 Series with over 88% zirconia content, and the AZS Zirconite ZB and Marsnite MB series), bonded refractories, monolithic refractories (the Asahi Caster brand family including GRAM dry-gunning castables, TMT high-thermal-insulation ceramics up to 1700°C, and QD rapid-heating castables), and fine ceramics (CERAROI-C silicon carbide, CERAROI-N silicon nitride, LOTEC-M cordierite, and LOTEC-T aluminum titanate). Underlying technologies span electrofusion, proprietary slurry forming for near-net shapes, high-temperature adhesion ceramic bonding above 1000°C, and the Ecolead Furnace with Hi-per Regenerator waste heat recovery delivering 15-20% better fuel efficiency than conventional designs.

The company earns revenue primarily through hardware sales of refractory products, supplemented by Glass Engineering services that span the lifecycle of glass melting furnaces from design and construction through operation support and maintenance, including drone-based refractory inspection. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales with quote-based pricing, served through offices in Tokyo (headquarters), Osaka, and Takasago in Japan, plus AGC Ceramics Singapore Pte. Ltd. in Southeast Asia, and affiliated operations in China (Zibo AGC Alumina Materials, Jiangsu HGC Ceramics, and the 2022 CERAWEI joint venture in Jingdezhen). The company holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications, claims the No.2 global share in high zirconia fused cast refractories on a sales basis, and reports approximately 270 employees as of 2025 with capital of 3.5 billion yen. Its products are deployed in over 150 glass melting furnaces across more than 20 countries.

Name

AGC Ceramics

Legal name

AGC Ceramics Co., Ltd.

Website

https://agcc.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

AGC Ceramics is a Japanese refractory and fine ceramics manufacturer serving glass, incinerator, aluminum, cement, and fine ceramics industries with fused cast, bonded, and monolithic refractories plus lifecycle engineering services. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AGC Inc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Refractories

NAICS

Clay Building Material and Refractories Manufacturing (327120)

SIC

Structural Clay Products (3250), Nonferrous Foundries (Castings) (3360)

akta.pro primary industry

Aluminum Smelter/Refinery Technology, Equipment & Refractories (IMAKACAL)

Keywords

• Fused cast refractories
• Industrial refractory materials
• Fine ceramics manufacturing
• Glass furnace refractories
• Monolithic refractories

Headquarters

HQ city

Shiba

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Refractory Products: Manufacturing and sale of fused cast refractories, bonded refractories, and monolithic refractories for glass melting furnaces, incinerators, aluminum melting furnaces, cement kilns, and various industrial furnaces.
2. Fine Ceramics Products: Specialized fine ceramics including SiC (CERAROI-C), Si3N4 (CERAROI-N), cordierite (LOTEC-M), and aluminum titanate (LOTEC-T) for industrial applications.
3. Glass Engineering Services: Comprehensive lifecycle support for glass melting furnaces including design, construction, operation support, and maintenance services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

AGC Ceramics manufactures and sells industrial refractories (fused cast, bonded, and monolithic refractories) and fine ceramics for high-temperature industrial applications. Its products serve glass melting furnaces, incinerators, aluminum and cement kilns, plus specialty industries, with lifecycle engineering services supporting furnace design, construction, and maintenance.

Product overview

AGC Ceramics is a refractory and fine ceramics manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio across five industry segments: Glass, Incinerator, Aluminum, Cement, and Fine Ceramics. The product portfolio includes three main categories of refractories (fused cast, monolithic, and bonded) plus fine ceramics. Key product lines include the ZB-X950 Series (high zirconia fused cast refractories for special glass), Asahi Caster GRAM Series (dry-gunning castables), Asahi Caster TMT Series (high thermal insulation), CERAROI fine ceramics (SiC and Si3N4), and comprehensive Glass Engineering services. The company also provides lifecycle support services including simulation, installation guidance, operation support, and drone-based inspection. AGC Ceramics is a 100% subsidiary of AGC Inc. (AGCグループ), leveraging the parent company's 100+ years of refractory manufacturing expertise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CERAROI: Silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon nitride (Si3N4) bonded tile/brick products for industrial applications including incinerators and aluminum furnaces
• LOTEC
• Asahi Caster
• Ecolead Furnace
• BRIGHTORB

Products and services

• ZB-X950 Series High Zirconia Fused Cast Refractory Super-premium fused cast refractory with zirconia content over 88%, designed for glass contact areas in special glass melting furnaces requiring high quality and minimal defects (stones, blisters) in molten glass. Offers extremely high corrosion resistance and high electrical resistivity.
• Zirconite (ZB) Series AZS Fused Cast Refractory High-quality Al2O3-ZrO2-SiO2 fused cast refractory with excellent corrosion resistance to molten glass, widely used in glass melting furnaces across multiple applications.
• Marsnite (MB) Series High Alumina Fused Cast Refractory High alumina fused cast refractory produced by melting high-purity alumina raw materials at over 2000°C, suitable for superstructures and low-temperature glass contact areas in glass melting furnaces.
• Asahi Caster GRAM Series Dense Dry-Gunning Castable Innovative gunning monolithic refractory combining the ease of dry gunning application with the high durability of low-cement materials, suitable for combustion chamber walls, ceilings, and boiler walls in incinerators and industrial furnaces.
• Asahi Caster TMT Series High Thermal Insulation Ceramics Monolithic refractory that dramatically enhances insulation function, contributing to energy savings, with heat resistance up to 1700°C and insulation performance equivalent to ceramic fiber without containing RCF.
• Asahi Caster QD Series Rapid Heating Castable Monolithic refractory capable of rapid heating with excellent anti-explosive properties, reducing drying time and maximizing benefits of shortened construction periods.
• Monolithic Refractories (Mortar, Castable, Tamping) Various mortars, castables, and tamping materials for glass melting furnace construction including ZR-3500, RF-SRC1, CM-12G, AZSM-F, and various joint sealing materials.
• PSB Series Periclase Spinel Brick Special high purity periclase brick for cement kilns with excellent stability against increasing alternative fuels, sulfur attack, reducing atmosphere and mechanical stress.
• GIBRAM / CLC-Z Series Castable for Aluminum High-alumina, high-strength castable (GIBRAM) and zircon-containing castable (CLC-Z) with excellent aluminum non-wetting properties for aluminum melting furnaces.
• CWU Series Unburned Brick for Aluminum Dense unburned brick with special additives for aluminum non-wetting and high strength, suitable for aluminum contact areas with excellent mechanical wear resistance.
• CWR-SCN Series Silicon Nitride Bonded SiC for Aluminum High-strength, aluminum non-wetting brick with silicon nitride bonded SiC aggregate for aluminum contact areas with excellent mechanical wear resistance.
• CWK Brick High Alumina Brick Bonded brick with excellent alkali resistance and thermal spalling resistance, widely used in waste incinerators with high alumina content and low porosity.
• CERAROI C-SN/CWR-SCN Silicon Nitride Bonded SiC Tile/Brick Silicon nitride bonded silicon carbide tiles and bricks offering high thermal conductivity, high strength, and oxidation resistance for boiler walls and combustion chamber walls.
• G-DX-G, G-DX-2 Bath Bottom Bricks High-purity CIP-formed bath bottom bricks for float bath applications with G-DX-2 featuring reduced impurity content and G-DX-G providing alkali resistance.
• ZR-UP Zircon Brick High-purity zircon bonded refractory with excellent corrosion resistance to molten glass and anti-spalling properties for superstructures of glass melting furnaces.
• G-M-75DHP, DZ Fused Mullite High-performance bonded refractories made from fused mullite (3Al2O3-2SiO2) with excellent creep resistance for superstructures and burner blocks in specialty glass melting furnaces.
• G-ZRHD-65S, 65, 69 Dense Zircon Dense zircon bonded refractories formed by CIP with high electrical resistivity for electrode blocks in glass melting furnaces, featuring low blistering properties.
• CERAROI-C Silicon Carbide Fine Ceramics Silicon carbide with enhanced fracture toughness using unique technology, excellent chemical resistance and hardness with high temperature strength up to 1400°C, used for complex-shaped industrial components.
• CERAROI-N Silicon Nitride Fine Ceramics Silicon nitride with excellent strength, corrosion resistance, fracture toughness and electrical insulation, maintaining strength up to 1000°C, used in precision industrial and semiconductor applications.
• LOTEC-M Cordierite Fine Ceramics High-purity cordierite with excellent low thermal expansion and thermal shock resistance, manufactured using proprietary electrofusion technology.
• LOTEC-T Aluminum Titanate Fine Ceramics Heat-resistant material resistant to thermal shock and excellent wettability with molten metals, used in non-ferrous metal melting furnaces with TC and TM types.
• Glass Engineering Services Comprehensive lifecycle support technology for glass melting furnaces including design, construction, operation support, and maintenance, leveraging advanced melting simulation technology.
• Refractory Services (Simulation, Installation, Analysis, Operation Support) Comprehensive lifecycle support services including thermal stress and fluid simulation, installation guidance, glass defect analysis, operation support, energy-saving diagnosis, used refractory analysis, and refractory inspection.
• Drone-based Refractory Inspection Service New service for inspecting refractories inside incinerators using small drones equipped with high-resolution cameras and 3D modeling for accurate inspection without scaffolding, reducing costs and time.
• Ecolead Furnace Glass Melting Furnace Energy-efficient glass melting furnace technology featuring high-efficiency waste heat recovery system (Hi-per Regenerator) and High Thermal Insulation Ceramics, achieving 15-20% better fuel efficiency compared to conventional end-port type designs.
• THERMOTECT WALL High Thermal Insulation Ceramic Wall High thermal insulating ceramic wall technology that contributes to energy savings in industrial furnaces, recognized with the Energy Conservation Grand Prize - Director General Prize of Agency of Natural Resources and Energy in 2016.
• BRIGHTORB 3D Printer Material Material for 3D printers launched in 2017, extending the company's ceramic materials technology into additive manufacturing applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15-20% better fuel efficiency compared to conventional end-port type glass melting furnaces
• +3 more outcomes

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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered regional and core.

• CERAWEI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.regionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Joint venture established in 2022 in Jingdezhen, China to serve the Chinese ceramics market with specialized refractory solutions.
• AGC Plibrico Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2002Affiliated company within the AGC Group. Plibrico Japan was acquired by AGC in 1991 and renamed to AGC Plibrico in 2013. Provides refractory products and services complementary to AGC Ceramics' offerings.
• ZIBO AGC ALUMINA MATERIALS CO., LTD.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary in China (Shandong province) manufacturing fused alumina materials. Originally established as Zibo Asahi Glass Alumina Materials Co., Ltd. in 2000, renamed in 2019 after group restructuring.
• JIANGSU HGC CERAMICS CO., LTD.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated company in China (Jiangsu province). Formerly known as Yixing AGC Ceramics Co., Ltd. and Jiangsu Hengnai AGC Industrial Ceramics Co., Ltd. after partial share transfer to Jiangsu Hengnai Refractory Group in 2023.
• AGC Ceramics Singapore Pte. Ltd.regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional subsidiary established in 2013 to serve Southeast Asia market. Located at 460 Alexandra Road, #32-01 m Tower, Singapore 119963.
• AGC Kansai Plant (Takasago Factory)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManufacturing cooperation partner where AGC Ceramics' Takasago Plant is located inside AGC's Kansai Plant facility. Cooperates on energy-saving activities in manufacturing processes, recycling of industrial waste, and safety and disaster prevention activities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• RHI Magnesita: RHI Magnesita is the world's largest refractory producer, offering a broad portfolio across steel, cement, glass, and non-ferrous metals with global manufacturing footprint. While AGC Ceramics competes in select overlapping categories (aluminum, cement), RHI Magnesita is a much larger diversified incumbent.

Direct peers

• Morgan Advanced Materials: Morgan Advanced Materials is a UK-based manufacturer of technical ceramics including silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon nitride (Si3N4) products that directly mirror AGC Ceramics' CERAROI fine ceramics line. It serves overlapping industrial, semiconductor, and high-temperature applications.
• Vesuvius plc: Vesuvius is a UK-listed global leader in fused cast and bonded refractories serving steel, glass, and foundry customers, with a particularly strong glass melting furnace refractory portfolio that directly overlaps AGC Ceramics' core glass segment. Comparable specialty refractory business model with global engineering services.
• Shinagawa Refractories Co., Ltd. Shinagawa is a major Japanese refractory manufacturer with a comparable product portfolio covering monolithic, bonded, and fused cast refractories for steel, cement, and glass customers. It is one of the closest Japanese domestic competitors and shares AGC Ceramics' focus on industrial furnace applications.
• Krosaki Harima Corporation: Krosaki Harima is another leading Japanese refractory manufacturer with a broad product range spanning basic, alumina, and monolithic refractories for steel and industrial furnace customers. It directly overlaps with AGC Ceramics in monolithic refractories for incinerators and industrial furnace segments.
• Saint-Gobain (SEFPRO): Saint-Gobain's SEFPRO division is the world's leading producer of fused cast refractories for the glass industry, including the historical Corhart product line that originally partnered with AGC's predecessor in 1932. It is the most direct head-to-head competitor in the fused cast refractory segment where AGC holds global No. 2 share.

Emerging players

• CoorsTek: CoorsTek is a US-based manufacturer of technical ceramics (alumina, SiC, Si3N4, cordierite, aluminum titanate) for semiconductor, medical, and industrial applications. It overlaps with AGC Ceramics' fine ceramics segment rather than refractory core, with stronger focus on electronics and precision components.

Others

• Imerys: Imerys is a French specialty minerals group that supplies refractory raw materials (alumina, zircon, fused minerals) and certain specialty ceramic products. As a supplier-adjacent player, it interacts with AGC Ceramics as both potential upstream partner and downstream competitor in selected fine ceramics categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCaNytfmI9WXHHpaiEjpVkeA
• Facebookfacebook.com/agcc.jp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agc-ceramics-co-ltd-

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 AGC Ceramics