Refractory material consumption per ton of steel decreased from 35kg~40kg in the early stage of reform and opening up to 25kg~30kg in the late 1990s, and then to 13kg~14kg in early 2021. Reduced to the international leading level of about 9kg. There are mainly the following 4 reasons:

First, the iron and steel industry continues to adopt internationally advanced large-scale process technology and equipment, as well as modern and intelligent compact manufacturing process technology.

The second is the simultaneous development of the refractory industry and the iron and steel industry; the variety and quality of refractory materials have reached the international advanced level, and the proportion of amorphous materials and the application of secondary resources have continued to increase.

The third is the widespread use of advanced, high-efficiency and low-consumption technologies. For example, high-pass iron content iron ditch self-flowing castable and repair technology, ladle lining integral pouring and sleeve pouring technology, converter slag splash protection furnace and sliding plate slag stop tapping technology, long-life ramming (material) technology, continuous casting tundish setting Diameter nozzle (or immersion nozzle) quick replacement and tundish longevity technology, slag skin protection and longevity technology, etc.

The fourth is the refractory contracting system. Since 2010, steel companies have generally adopted the refractory contracting system, which is unique in China. Professional matters are handed over to professional personnel, including iron ditch, iron ladle, converter, ladle, refining furnace, tundish and all facilities that consume refractory materials, from design, production and supply, storage to on-site masonry, Cold and hot repairs, dismantling, post-use refractory material disposal, temperature monitoring, online lifetime management and even traffic dispatching, etc., are "all-inclusive", and even overhaul and infrastructure construction of blast furnaces and hot blast furnaces are also contracted. As the refractory contracting company on the supply side is becoming more and more integrated with the users on the demand side, the contracting system has completely changed the extensive use of refractory materials in the past. The right to evaluate the use of refractory materials is controlled by the past users and becomes "I am responsible for my (produced) products (overall use, maintenance, improvement, etc.)". The settlement method has changed from "selling bricks" (selling to steel companies for a ton of refractory materials) to "selling molten iron and steel" (selling to steel companies for a ton of steel or ton of iron). Due to the low concentration and the increasingly fierce competition, it is basically winning bids at low prices, forcing refractory contractors to rely on technological advances, make careful calculations, and achieve the highest service life with the least consumption of refractory materials, and produce more iron and steel safely settlement.