Chrome Corundum Brick for RH Degassers, Glass Regenerators & Severe Slag Zones

Chrome corundum brick is what happens when plain corundum is not holding up against the slag. Adding chromium oxide to an alumina body forms a solid solution that dramatically lowers the brick’s solubility in aggressive slags and glass melts. Where a corundum hot face slowly dissolves and recedes, a chrome-corundum face holds its boundary.

What Chrome Oxide Actually Does

Cr₂O₃ and Al₂O₃ share the same corundum crystal structure, so they form a continuous solid solution rather than a separate low-melting phase. That matters: the brick gains slag resistance without sacrificing refractoriness. The practical result is a hot face that dissolves more slowly and resists penetration, which is why chrome corundum is standard in glass furnace regenerators and RH degasser vessels.

The trade is straightforward — more chrome means more corrosion resistance, more density, and more cost. Our range runs from 10% Cr₂O₃ (CC10, moderate duties) through 30% (CC30, maximum aggression), and all grades hold RUL at or above 1700 °C with cold crushing strength ≥100 MPa.

Typical Duties

• RH degassers and snorkels — vacuum, high-alumina inclusions and severe cycling; snorkel life is often the bottleneck.
• Glass furnace regenerators — alkali and batch carryover attack; the classic chrome-corundum application.
• Severe slag contact zones — ladle and vessel positions where plain corundum dissolves too fast.
• Waste incineration and special vessels — combined wear and corrosion.

Two Honest Caveats

First, CC30 carries no published thermal shock value, because we do not publish a figure we do not test consistently. At 30% Cr₂O₃ the grade is chosen for corrosion resistance, not cycling; if thermal shock governs your zone, CC10–CC15 are rated at 12 cycles at 950 °C air quench and are the correct choice. Second, chrome-bearing refractories carry handling and disposal obligations in some jurisdictions. We supply full safety documentation and will advise on compliant spent-material handling — and if your plant restricts chrome-bearing materials, we will say so early and propose an alternative.

Manufacturing and Documentation

XZK chrome corundum bricks are pressed at high pressure and fired to develop the solid-solution bond, with cylindrical and complex special shapes produced to drawing. Bulk density and porosity per ASTM C830, crushing strength per ASTM C133, RUL per ISO 1893 and full chemistry including Cr₂O₃ per GB/T 6900 are tested per batch. A Certificate of Analysis ships with every lot, and pallets are labelled with grade and chrome content for your records.

Where This Grade Sits in the Lining System

Corundum and high-alumina grades earn their place on hot strength and creep resistance, and those properties only pay back if the surrounding zones survive as long as they do. Putting the strongest brick into the harshest zone and leaving the rest to habit is how most of the refractory budget is actually lost.

XZK supplies chrome corundum brick as one zone of a zoned package rather than as a standalone item: the grades normally zoned alongside it — among them corundum brick — are documented on the corundum and high-alumina refractories page, and the vessel-level architecture — where each zone starts and ends, and which mechanism actually limits the campaign — is set out on the steel ladle and RH/VD page.

Campaign data measured on this class of lining — including the wear profile that drove grade selection — is published in the JFE Steel RH degasser snorkel and ladle flow control programme project reference.