China's Refractory Materials Industry Accelerates Towards International Standardization and Green Low-Carbon Development
Since 2026, China's refractory materials industry has achieved significant breakthroughs in international standard setting, green and low-carbon transformation, and intelligent manufacturing, significantly accelerating the pace of high-quality development.
1. Two International Standards for Refractory Materials Approved, Incorporating Chinese Solutions into the International System
In July 2026, the Secretariat of the International Organization for Standardization's Technical Committee on Refractories (ISO/TC33) officially announced the approval of two new working projects for international standards: ISO/NP 26694 "Refractory materials – Test method for alkali resistance" and ISO/NP 26695 "Refractory materials – Test method for slag resistance."
Alkali and slag resistance directly determine the service life of refractory materials in high-temperature corrosive environments. However, the lack of unified global testing methods has long hindered trade and technological exchange between countries. This approval signifies that China's refractory material testing technology solutions will be incorporated into the international standards system for the first time.
To facilitate project implementation, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee on Refractories plans to establish a working group on test methods for the performance of refractory materials. The working group will include representatives from six countries: China, Australia, Germany, the United States, Belgium, and India. The first working group meeting is scheduled for September 14, 2026.
2. Green and low-carbon standards are being accelerated, and carbon labeling may become a key tool for industry transformation
The refractory materials industry is also actively pursuing green and low-carbon initiatives. In May 2026, a discussion meeting on two standard projects, organized by the Secretariat of the National Refractory Standardization Committee, was held in Shanghai. The meeting discussed the national standard "Greenhouse Gases - Methods and Requirements for Quantifying the Carbon Footprint of Products - Refractory Materials" and the industry standard "Requirements and Guidelines for Green Supply Chain Management of Refractory Materials Enterprises."
The national standard "Greenhouse Gases - Methods and Requirements for Quantifying the Carbon Footprint of Products - Refractory Materials" specifies the methods and requirements for quantifying the carbon footprint of refractory materials products. It is applicable to the quantification and evaluation of the carbon footprint of refractory materials products, helping refractory companies to fully understand the impact of their products on climate change and promoting collaborative development among upstream and downstream enterprises. The industry standard, "Requirements and Usage Guidelines for Green Supply Chain Management of Refractory Materials Enterprises," systematically guides enterprises in green transformation across the entire supply chain, from raw material procurement and production to recycling, promoting the industry's transformation towards low-carbon and environmentally friendly practices.
In April 2026, Henan Province officially launched its carbon footprint accounting and carbon labeling evaluation work for refractory materials. The meeting emphasized that carbon emission assessment is an inevitable and irreversible trend, and refractory material enterprises must attach great importance to it, actively participate, accelerate the construction of a carbon emission management system, understand their own total carbon emissions, and enhance their green and low-carbon competitiveness. The Henan Provincial Refractory Materials Carbon Footprint Evaluation and Certification Center focuses on three major tasks: establishing unified carbon footprint accounting standards, building an industry carbon emission database, and providing certification and training services.
It is worth noting that the "Methods and Requirements for Carbon Emission Accounting per Unit Product of Refractory Materials" completed its draft for approval at the end of February 2026. After the standard is issued, the Chinese refractory materials industry will have a unified technical basis for the quantitative management of carbon emissions.
3. Green trade barriers are forcing industry upgrades
With the implementation of international rules such as the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), China's refractory exports face new challenges. Henan province accounts for half of China's refractory material production and one-third of the global production, forming the cornerstone of high-temperature industries such as steel and building materials. Although refractory materials are not yet included in the CBAM direct tariff list, as a key upstream raw material for products subject to tariffs, their carbon footprint will be directly included in the final emissions of downstream products.
Establishing and implementing green and low-carbon standards for refractory materials can play four roles: first, regulating market access by incorporating carbon emission indicators into the product quality and compliance evaluation system; second, clarifying technological directions by providing quantifiable targets for enterprises' technological transformation and process optimization; third, preventing counterfeiting risks by ensuring the authenticity and credibility of carbon data through third-party verification mechanisms; and fourth, aligning with international rules by adopting internationally accepted methodologies.
4. The world's first large-scale model for the vertical industry of refractory materials was released
On July 2, 2026, at the 2026 Hubei International Technology Exchange Conference, "Zhurong·Refractory Intelligent Engineering," the world's first vertical knowledge model for refractory materials, independently developed by the National Key Laboratory of Advanced Refractory Materials at Wuhan University of Science and Technology, was officially released.
According to reports, "Zhurong·Refractory Intelligent Engineering" has completed the systematic cleaning, labeling, and structuring of massive amounts of refractory material data. It possesses core functions such as professional intelligent question answering, literature summary generation, and knowledge summarization, covering the entire lifecycle of refractory materials, from formulation design, experimental testing, process parameter optimization to product use evaluation. In practical user feedback, users have praised the model as "professional, accurate, and business-relevant, effectively solving practical problems."
Kreis Parr, Chairman of the International Alliance for Research and Education in Refractory Materials, stated that China produces more than half of the world's refractory materials, and he anticipates that China will lead global development in the field of refractory materials technology in the next 5 to 10 years.
