A refractory quote request sends one specification (product or class, standard, quantity, service temperature and delivery country) to independent suppliers of refractory products, raw materials, binders and additives. Which details make the answers comparable?
The form covers every product family of refractory materials, from brick and castable to insulation and grains.
Every value names its standard and edition, the product data sheet or the dated source it comes from; see our methodology and fact-checking process.
Quote request specification
Requests go to independent suppliers and contractors. No company pays for placement; see our editorial policy.
What the Refractory Quote Request Form Asks For#
The refractory quote request form asks for nine groups of fields: request type, product and class, standard, chemistry target, maximum service temperature, key properties, quantity, documents and delivery, and only your email and the product or class are required. A supplier quotes against a data sheet, so an empty field becomes the supplier's assumption; consignment stock moves stock risk and cost to the supplier, which is reflected in price (refractories WORLDFORUM 9, 2017).
Table 1 lists each field group.
| Field group | What to enter | Why suppliers need it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Request type | finished product, raw material, binder or additive, insulation; spot, annual, tender, consignment, full-line service | sets the offer type |
| 2. Product and class (required) | family: refractory bricks, monolithic refractories (castable quote included), refractory insulation, refractory raw materials, refractory additives and binders; then class or grade | identifies the product |
| 3. Standard | ASTM or ISO/EN class with edition (Table 2) | fixes the requirement basis |
| 4. Chemistry target | main oxide in mass %, basis (calcined or as-received) | separates classes inside a family |
| 5. Maximum service temperature | °C (°F), lining zone, current material and life | lets the supplier check the class |
| 6. Key properties and test methods | bulk density and apparent porosity (ASTM C20-00(2022) / ISO 5017:2025), cold crushing strength (ASTM C133-24 / ISO 10059-1:2025), permanent linear change (ASTM C113-14(2025) / ISO 2478:2025), hot MOR (ASTM C583-15(2026) / ISO 5013:1985) | makes data comparable |
| 7. Quantity | metric tonnes (US short tons accepted); castable quantity from the refractory castable quantity calculator | sizes the offer |
| 8. Documents | test certificates, preshipment testing, third-party inspection, country of origin; for additives grade, CAS, d50, BET, packaging, date of manufacture, SDS, REACH status | sets acceptance checks |
| 9. Delivery (email required) | country, destination, date, trade term and named place, HS heading 6902, 6903 or 3816 (optional), payment terms, offer validity; email; company (optional) | freight, customs and contact |
Product Class and Standard: ASTM and ISO Side by Side#
Name the class by its standard and edition, because ASTM C27-98(2022) grades fireclay brick by physical properties and high-alumina brick by Al2O3 content, while ISO 10081-1:2003 assigns groups. Table 2 compares the standards.
| Product family | US standard (edition) | ISO / EN standard (edition) | What to name in the form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fireclay and high-alumina brick | ASTM C27-98(2022) | ISO 10081-1:2003 / EN ISO 10081-1:2005 | duty class or Al2O3 class; ISO group |
| Basic brick below 7 % residual carbon | ASTM C455-07(2022) | ISO 10081-2:2003 / EN ISO 10081-2:2005 | type (M, MCr, MSp) |
| Carbon-containing basic brick | ASTM C831-18(2023) (residual carbon test) | ISO 10081-3:2003 / EN ISO 10081-3:2005 | type and carbon band (MC 85/10A) |
| Fused-cast and special shapes | ASTM C1547-02(2022) | ISO 10081-4:2014 / EN ISO 10081-4:2014 | group (AZS30/40) |
| Dense castables | ASTM C401-12(2022) | ISO 1927-1:2012 / EN ISO 1927-1:2012 | class and cement level by name |
| Insulating firebrick | ASTM C155-97(2022) | ISO 2245:2006 | group number (a test temperature, not a service rating) |
Same family, never equivalent requirements.
ASTM C401-12(2022) separates castable cement levels by CaO content, so name the class, not a cement percentage. An ASTM C155-97(2022) group number approximates a reheat-change test temperature in °F, not a service temperature. The full designation list sits under refractory standards.
Quantity, Units and Delivery Fields#
Quantity goes in metric tonnes, and a US short ton (907.2 kg) is accepted, so the form converts either unit. The optional HS heading helps customs (US HTS, read 2026-10-27): 6902 for bricks and blocks, 6903 for other refractory ceramic goods such as nozzles and plugs, and 3816 for refractory cements, mortars, concretes and ramming mixes.
Documents, Test Data and Date of Manufacture#
Ask for the documents you will check on delivery: test certificates, preshipment testing to API Std 936 (5th edition, March 2024) for monolithic linings, third-party inspection and country of origin. Brick systems sit under API Std 975 (2nd edition, April 2025).
For binders and additives the form also asks CAS, d50, BET and date of manufacture. Calcium aluminate cement is CAS 65997-16-2 (EC 266-045-5), never 12042-68-1, which is the CA phase; microsilica is CAS 69012-64-2, never 7631-86-9. Bagged cement ages: in one producer trial (Imerys, UNITECR 2025), 6 weeks in paper bags at 20 °C (68 °F) delayed the exotherm of a 68 % CAC bauxite low-cement castable by more than 20 h. See calcium aluminate cement for refractories.
What Happens After You Send a Quote Request#
After you send a quote request, RefractoryAdditives.com stores it and passes the specification to independent suppliers of the product family you named, and a supplier that can quote replies to you directly by email with its own offer. The site sells nothing and receives no payment for placement, so every offer comes from a supplier.
Compare offers on the same basis: class, standard and edition, quantity unit, delivery term, documents and validity. Write to editorial@refractoryadditives.com to have a stored request deleted.
How Suppliers Price a Refractory Quote#
Suppliers price a refractory quote from eight factors, so two quotes compare only when these match.
- Class and grade
- Raw-material origin
- Shape complexity
- Quantity
- Packaging
- Freight
- Trade-remedy duties
- Installation and dry-out where included
Duties are real cost lines: US antidumping orders on magnesia-carbon bricks from China and Mexico (issued 2010-09-20) and the countervailing duty order on China (2010-09-21) are in force, with third five-year reviews instituted on 2026-07-01 (Federal Register, 2026-07-02). The US BLS producer price index for clay refractories (WPU1352, 1982 = 100) stood at 405.818 in September 2026, a trend, not a price.
Quote Requests, Contractor Match and Total Lining Cost#
A supplier quote covers material, while installation, dry-out and repair are quoted by contractors, and the purchase price is only part of total lining cost. Direct material plus installation cost may be only 40 to 60 % of total refractory-related cost, and with process effects direct cost might be not more than 20 to 35 % of the value-in-use equation (Tata Steel IJmuiden, refractories WORLDFORUM 9, 2017). Installation scopes go through a free refractory contractor match.
Two related tools follow.
- Refractory calculators and quote tools
- Refractory heat loss calculator for lining thickness and cold-face temperature before ordering