SIC 3297 Nonclay Refractories

Contenidos

• NAICS CODE(S).
• FURTHER READING.

SIC 3297

This category includes establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing refractories and crucibles made of materials other than clay. This industry also includes establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing all graphite refractories, whether of carbon bond or ceramic bond. Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing clay refractories are classified in SIC 3255: Clay Refractories.

NAICS CODE(S)

327125

Nonclay Refractory Manufacturing

A refractory is a product such as brick that is resistant to intense heat. Some of the main uses of refractories are to create fire-resistant construction materials for industrial buildings and to create crucibles. Crucibles are vessels made of a substance that will withstand extreme heat and are used for melting metals or minerals. Another use of refractories is to create furnaces and other devices. While those are the biggest divisions within the industry, refractories are used for a wide variety of industries, from boiler combustion chambers and incinerators to rotary kilns and mine ore dryers. Generally, refractory products are needed where commercial production processes exceed temperatures of 700 degrees Fahrenheit.

This industry includes establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing all graphite refractories, whether of carbon or ceramic bond. Products produced by the nonclay refractories industry include alumina-fused refractories; bauxite, carbon, and refractory brick; nonclay castable refractories; high-temperature cement; magnesia cement; crucibles made of graphite, chrome, silica, or other nonclay materials; dolomite brick; nonclay gunning mixes; nonclay plastics refractories; nonclay refractory cement; and pyrolytic graphite.

The value of shipments in this industry grew dramatically through most of the 1980s, climbing from $691.0 million in 1982 to $954.5 million in 1987 and $1.1 billion 1989. By 1997 the industry's shipment values had increased to an estimated $1.4 billion, recovering from a U.S. recession in the early 1990s that hurt overall sales. Shipments continued to fluctuate throughout the remainder of the decade, falling to $1.3 billion in 2000 and to $989 million in 2002 as the U.S. economy weakened. Shipments reached $1.9 billion in 2004. The iron and steel industry accounted for about half of the U.S. refractory market, and steel and refractory production actually paralleled each other.

The cost of materials for the...