This guide supports early procurement discussion. Final material selection, installation and heat-up decisions must be confirmed for the actual project.
Identify the equipment and exact lining zone
Name the plant process, furnace or kiln, and the precise area where the brick will be installed. Separate hot-face, safety, backup and insulation layers because each performs a different job.
State whether the work is a new lining, planned replacement or local repair. For replacement work, include the current brick, lining drawing and observed wear rather than asking for a visually similar product.
- Equipment and process
- Exact zone and lining layer
- New build, relining or repair
- Current grade, drawing and wear record
Describe the dominant damage mechanisms
Temperature alone does not define a refractory brick. Chemical corrosion, penetration, abrasion, thermal cycling, hot load and structural movement can act together. Record the mechanism that appears to control service life in each zone.
Where the cause is uncertain, provide photographs, remaining lining thickness and operating history. These observations are more useful than assuming that a higher chemistry number will automatically solve the problem.
- Slag, metal, clinker, glass, ash or vapor contact
- Abrasion, impact and gas velocity
- Heating and cooling frequency
- Load, movement and joint condition
Select a brick family before selecting a grade
Fireclay, high-alumina, mullite, silica and magnesia-based bricks are different material families, not a simple good-better-best ladder. The process chemistry, temperature pattern, structural design and adjacent materials determine which families are technically plausible.
After the family is selected, compare current grades from the same technical basis. Do not combine a historic brochure value, a supplier's typical value and a contract guarantee as if they were equivalent.
- Alumina-silica families for suitable neutral or moderate-duty zones
- Silica systems for designs that account for their thermal behavior
- Basic brick families for compatible process chemistry
- Dense, insulating and special-shape functions kept distinct
Define measurable technical requirements
Choose properties that relate to the service zone and state the test method, units, specimen condition and acceptance rule. Apparent porosity, bulk density, cold crushing strength, hot-load behavior, permanent linear change, thermal conductivity and expansion answer different questions.
Cold crushing strength can support handling and room-temperature comparison, but it is not a universal prediction of high-temperature campaign life. The specification should explain why each required result matters.
- Chemical limits and relevant impurities
- Apparent porosity and bulk density
- Room-temperature and hot-property requirements
- Thermal change or heat-transfer data where relevant
- Guaranteed limits separated from typical reference values
Control drawings, joints and interfaces
Refractory bricks are modular construction units. Shape, dimensions, warpage, squareness, stack height and marking can affect joint quality and installation sequence.
Issue controlled drawings and identify the applicable tolerances. Confirm mortar, joint thickness, expansion allowance, anchors and interfaces with castables or insulation as part of the lining system.
- Approved shape drawings and revision
- Dimensions, tolerances, warpage and squareness
- Mortar and joint design
- Expansion allowance and adjacent lining materials
- Pre-assembly or trial-laying requirement
Agree inspection and batch documentation
Define sampling, inspection responsibility and the records required for the supplied batch before production begins. A public data sheet supports early comparison; the purchase specification and inspection plan govern order acceptance.
If third-party inspection is required, state the hold points, test laboratory, witness arrangements and document language in the RFQ.
- Batch identity and traceability
- Sampling and test frequency
- Dimensional and visual inspection
- Certificate of analysis or agreed inspection report
- Third-party witness or release requirement
Protect the installation sequence during packing
Packing is part of the technical scope when a project includes many shapes or a brick schedule. Agree pallet limits, moisture protection, marks, packing lists and loading sequence around the route and site handling plan.
The final RFQ should also state quantity, spare percentage, Incoterm, destination port and required delivery date so suppliers quote the same scope.
- Brick number and pallet mark
- Shape-separated or installation-sequence packing
- Moisture and transport protection
- Quantity, spares and packing list
- Incoterm, port and project schedule
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 C27-98(2022)Active classification reference for fireclay and high-alumina refractory brick.
- ASTM C134-95(2023)Active dimensional measurement reference for refractory brick and insulating firebrick.
- Krosaki Harima Refractory BusinessPublic industry overview of refractory functions and product forms.