Refractories contain heat, pressure, or chemical attack and protect processing equipment at extremely high temperatures and are used to line boilers and furnaces of all types (reactors, thermal oxidizers, stacks, etc.).

Refractories are ceramic materials designed to withstand the very high temperatures (in excess of 1,000°F [538°C]) encountered in modern manufacturing. Being more heat-resistant than metals, they are used to line the hot surfaces found inside many industrial processes.

In addition to being resistant to thermal stress and other physical phenomena induced by heat, refractories can withstand physical wear and corrosion caused by chemical agents. Thus, they are essential to the manufacture of petrochemical products and the refining of gasoline.