This guide supports early procurement discussion. Final material selection, installation and heat-up decisions must be confirmed for the actual project.
Start with the furnace zone and acceptance basis
Name the plant, equipment and exact lining zone before asking for a grade or quotation. Temperature alone cannot distinguish the effects of slag, vapor, abrasion, hot load, cycling, joints and structural movement.
State whether the purchase is for a new lining, planned replacement or local repair. Provide the current specification, drawing and wear history where available so the supplier can identify deviations instead of proposing a visually similar brick.
- Equipment, process and exact lining zone
- Normal and upset operating conditions
- Current grade, drawing and failure observations
- Governing standard, owner specification and revision
Confirm the manufacturing entity, grade and documents
A trading name, cooperation relationship or catalog page does not identify the legal manufacturer for every product. Ask the quotation to name the proposed manufacturing entity, production location, exact grade and any subcontracted scope.
Request the current data sheet or agreed contract specification. Factory-supplied materials can support initial technical review, but historical brochure tables and representative test reports do not become batch guarantees unless the contract says so.
- Legal manufacturing entity and production location
- Exact grade and current document revision
- Typical values separated from guaranteed limits
- Certificate, inspection report and traceability scope
Freeze drawings, quantities and interfaces before price comparison
Refractory bricks are modular construction units. Shape codes, critical dimensions, tolerances, warpage, squareness and stack height can affect joints and installation even when chemistry is acceptable.
Issue controlled drawings and a brick schedule. Confirm mortar, joint thickness, expansion allowance, adjacent castables or insulation, spare quantities and any pre-assembly requirement before comparing offers.
- Drawing number and revision
- Shape register, quantities and spares
- Critical dimensions and tolerance method
- Mortar, joints, interfaces and installation sequence
Agree inspection and release before production
Define the lot, sampling method, test frequency, witness points, laboratory, report language and release authority in the RFQ. The applicable product standard and purchase contract should decide the tests and limits rather than a generic checklist.
Connect the sample, test report, pallet mark and packing list to the same grade and batch. If third-party inspection is required, confirm access, notice time, retest rules and responsibility for nonconforming material before the order is placed.
- Lot definition and batch traceability
- Visual and dimensional inspection criteria
- Named test methods and acceptance limits
- Witness, retest, concession and rejection procedure
Specify export packing around the brick schedule
Packing is part of the technical scope when an order contains multiple shapes. Agree pallet limits, shape separation, brick numbers, packing lists, moisture protection, edge protection and loading sequence around the route and site handling plan.
The factory package includes examples of pre-assembly, packing, warehousing and road or rail dispatch. Treat these as capability references, not a promise that every project uses the same pallet, route or loading method. Confirm the actual packing design and photographs for the order.
- Pallet and brick identification
- Shape-separated or installation-sequence packing
- Moisture, impact and handling protection
- Container plan, gross weight limits and destination marks
Define the trade term, transport and document boundaries
Use the named place or port and the selected Incoterms 2020 rule in the quotation and contract. The rule allocates specified delivery costs, risks and obligations, but it does not replace the sales contract, payment terms, technical specification or product warranty.
Confirm who books carriage, arranges insurance where applicable, completes export and import formalities, pays destination charges and supplies each required document. Destination-country requirements and the final document set must be checked for the actual transaction.
- Named Incoterm and named place or port
- Mode of transport and route constraints
- Commercial invoice, packing list and transport document
- Inspection, origin or other destination-required documents
Send one RFQ that makes supplier offers comparable
Combine technical, inspection, packing and commercial requirements in one controlled RFQ. Ask every bidder to list deviations and exclusions in writing instead of comparing prices built on different grades, test bases or delivery scopes.
Do not assume a public price, standard lead time or universal minimum order. Quantity, tooling, production route, inspection, packing, transport and payment conditions can change the offer and must be confirmed for the project.
- Application, grade, standard and drawings
- Guaranteed properties and inspection plan
- Quantity, spares, packing and destination
- Required date, Incoterm and document set
- Named manufacturer, deviations and commercial exclusions
Public references used for this guide
These references support the classification and procurement framework. They do not replace the current product data sheet, project specification or contract acceptance criteria.
- ASTM C134-95(2023)Current ASTM test-method reference covering size, dimensional measurements, bulk density, warpage and squareness for covered refractory brick forms.
- China National Public Service Platform for Standards: GB/T 2992.1-2011Official current record for general refractory-brick dimensions in China; project drawings and application-specific standards may still control the order.
- International Chamber of Commerce: Incoterms 2020Official ICC overview of the 11 trade rules and their allocation of specified delivery costs, risks and obligations.
- Sinosteel Luonai National Inspection CenterOfficial public reference describing refractory inspection, testing and acceptance services; order-specific access and scope require confirmation.