Ferrosilicon for steel

The growing demand for higher-performance steels is placing an increasing emphasis on the quality of ferrosilicon alloys (FeSi) used in steel fabrication plants – and at Elkem, we're ready to help you make the best decision for your business.

Understanding the Needs of Steel Fabricators

Although steelmaking dates back centuries, it is an industry that continues to evolve in the face of customer demand. Steel manufacturers are therefore increasingly under pressure to improve their performance, while keeping costs under control.

Ferrosilicon, as a major component of steel workflows, plays a key role in helping manufacturers meet these challenges – and this is where Elkem's products lead the field.

The role of ferro-silicon in the steel industry

But first, what roles does ferro-silicon play in steelmaking? There are four key areas:

• Product Performance – The presence of silicon as an alloying element improves various properties of the final steel product, including strength, wear resistance, elasticity, and magnetic properties (for electrical steels).
  
  
• Slag reduction – For stainless steels, ferro-silicon is used to reduce chromium oxides in the chromium metal melt, and thus avoid waste by slag.
  
  
• Deoxidation – For most steels, ferro-silicon is used to recover dissolved oxygen, which minimizes the formation of harmful inclusions and thus improves the cleanliness of the steel. Reducing the oxygen level also prevents the loss of elements such as carbon, manganese and chromium from the molten steel.
  
  
• Fuel – Some steel mills add ferrosilicon, mainly in the early stages, so that it can be "burned" with oxygen and heat into the furnace, saving on electricity costs.

Dedicated ferro-silicon products for a range of steel classes

At Elkem, we are ready to help you find the best possible balance between the above considerations and determine the optimal quality of ferro-silicon for your steelmaking process.

To do this, we treat each request as an independent project – we will never just suggest a "ready-to-use" product. The result is a product precisely tailored to your needs, which helps you improve your performance and streamline your workflows.