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Ferrous metals are any metal that contains iron. Because of their strength, you can find ferrous metals in everyday items from skyscrapers to cars. They’re also extremely durable, which is why ferrous metals are used in bridges, shipping containers and smaller manufacturing components that are subject to wear and tear.
With a steady supply of high purity ilmenite ore, we supply global markets with a diverse mix of iron and steel products including metal powders, steel billets and high purity pig iron (HPPI).
Founded in 1967, our Critical Minerals and Technology Centre in Sorel-Tracy, Canada continues to be a stronghold of innovation. We have state-of-the-art equipment and highly specialised instruments, such as an inductively coupled plasma spectrometer, x-ray spectrometer, atomic absorption unit, image analyser and scanning electron microscope.
Sold as Sorelsteel®, our steel billets support rolling mills in need of additional melt capacity in the long steel and tubular steel markets. Our low-residual billets are cast with the best quality standards – including clean steel practices and electromagnetic stirring. We can meet multiple square and round cross-sectional and length requirements. By supporting markets such as wire rod, merchant bar, and seamless pipe, Sorelsteel® billets are made into a variety of products, including autos, industrial, construction, welding electrodes, fasteners and drilling pipes.
Formerly Quebec Metal Powders (QMP), we manufacture powder from iron that is entirely sourced from low-residual ore. Because of this, our powders are exceptionally clean and consistent. We produce iron steel and prealloyed powders as well as high-performance metal powder mixes, including diffusion bonded and organic bonded mixes. Our powders are used to produce high-quality press and sinter parts for automotive, lawn and garden, and tool industries. We’ve developed specific iron powders for many new applications and markets that will help shape a greener future, including additive manufacturing (3D-printing), soft magnetic composites (SMCs) for electric motors, and various battery and energy storage applications.
We also have a full range of ferrous powder grades for virtually all powder metallurgy applications,
Our Suzhou Technology Centre is home to state-of-the-art facilities that process high-quality, atomised powder produced in our plant at Sorel-Tracy, Canada into finished products.
We can mix additives – such as copper, graphite, and lubricants – with steel powder to produce customised premixes for shipment to our customers in Asia. And we can apply special binders to produce proprietary FLOMET binder treated premises.
We produce high purity pig iron (HPPI), also known in the market as Sorelmetal™, which is often used as the preferred metallic charge in the foundries for the automotive, machine, construction, and heavy industries. Sorelmetal is a high purity iron-carbon alloy containing very low concentrations of manganese, phosphorus, sulfur, and other impurities.
We guarantee the product’s high purity and consistent chemical composition, lot after lot. This high consistency level is the result of superior quality ore treated in a closely controlled manufacturing process.
Our team of metallurgists are technical expertise leaders within the global foundry industry, and have published many technical publications including 2 signature books outlining our approach – The Sorelmetal® Book for Ductile Iron and Ductile Iron Data Book for Design Engineers.
Sales and marketing
E: sorel.metal@riotinto.com
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As some data privacy laws regulate IP addresses and other information collected through the use of cookies as personal data, Rio Tinto’s processing of such personal data needs to comply with its Data Privacy Standard (see Part 1 of our Privacy Policy), and also applicable data privacy laws.
With the exception of the use of cookies (explained below), Rio Tinto generally does not seek to collect personal data through this website. However if you choose to provide personal data to Rio Tinto through this website (for example, by sending us an email), we will process that personal data to answer your query and if relevant, to manage our business relationship with you or your company. We won't process that personal data for other purposes except where required to meet our legal obligations or otherwise as authorised by law and notified to you.
Part 1 of this Privacy Policy contains the Rio Tinto Data Privacy Standard, which provides an overview of Rio Tinto’s approach to personal data processing. There is additional information in the appendices to the Data Privacy Standard, including information about disclosures, trans-border data transfers, the exercise of data subject rights and how to make complaints or obtain further information relating to Rio Tinto’s processing of your personal data.
If you choose to subscribe to our media releases or other communications, you can unsubscribe at any time (by following the instructions in the email or by contacting us at digital.comms@riotinto.com).
With your consent, our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site.
A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer if you agree. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer's hard drive.
As some data privacy laws regulate IP addresses and other information collected through the use of cookies as personal data, Rio Tinto’s processing of such personal data needs to comply with its Data Privacy Standard (see Part 1 of this Privacy Policy), and also applicable data privacy laws.
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