Frequently Asked Questions

A carbon additive — also called a recarburizer or carbon raiser — is any carbonaceous material added to molten metal to restore or adjust carbon content during melting. In an electric arc furnace, for example, scrap steel loses 0.15–0.25% carbon through oxidation during the melt-down phase. That lost carbon must be replenished precisely to achieve target chemistry. The three main families are: Calcined Anthracite Coal (CAC, FC 90–95%), produced from high-quality anthracite through gas or electric calcination; Graphitized Petroleum Coke (GPC, FC 98.5%+), where petroleum coke is heat-treated at 2,500–3,000°C to create a crystalline graphite structure; and Calcined Petroleum Coke (CPC, FC 98%+), calcined at 1,200–1,400°C. Each type offers different dissolution kinetics, sulfur levels, and cost profiles suited to specific metallurgical applications.

Our production campus is in Chonggang Industrial Park, Pingluo City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. This location was chosen for strategic reasons: we are within 200 km of the Taixi anthracite deposits that provide our primary CAC feedstock, and we have direct road and rail access to Tianjin port. Ningxia is also a major center for silicon-based ferroalloy production, giving us proximity to FeSi and SiMn suppliers. We welcome factory visits from prospective and existing customers — our sales team can arrange transportation from Yinchuan Hedong International Airport (INC), which is approximately 1.5 hours from our facility.

Absolutely, and this is where we differentiate ourselves from pure trading companies. Our technical support includes: product selection guidance based on your furnace type, chemistry targets, and cost parameters; recommended addition practices including timing, sizing, and feed rates; troubleshooting when you encounter issues like low carbon recovery, excessive slag, or unexpected sulfur pickup; and ongoing optimization as your process conditions evolve. We communicate in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic, and our response time for technical inquiries is typically within 24 hours. For critical issues affecting production, we aim to respond within 4 hours during business hours.

We currently export to more than 50 countries across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Our largest markets include Japan, South Korea, the United States, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, India, Turkey, Spain, Poland, the Philippines, Indonesia, and South Africa. We are experienced with the import regulations, documentation requirements, and port procedures of these destinations. For countries with trade restrictions or special import licensing requirements, our logistics team will advise on feasibility and any additional documentation needed during the quotation process. We maintain relationships with freight forwarders at Tianjin, Qingdao, and Shanghai ports to ensure optimal routing and transit times.

Our product portfolio is built around the complete carbon and alloy needs of a modern steel mill or foundry. For primary recarburization, we offer CAC (FC 90–95%) sourced from Ningxia Taixi anthracite, GPC (FC 98.5%+) with sulfur as low as 0.03%, and CPC (FC 98%+) for cost-effective high-purity applications. For deoxidation and alloying, we supply SiC (which contributes carbon, silicon, and exothermic energy simultaneously), FeSi 72/75 for deoxidation and silicon adjustment, and SiMn 6517 for combined manganese alloying and deoxidation. Each product is available in multiple grades optimized for different furnace types, feeding methods, and chemistry targets.

Particle size is not just a physical specification — it directly governs dissolution kinetics in the furnace. Finer particles (0–1 mm) dissolve fastest and are ideal for injection systems or short holding-time induction furnaces, but they can also generate more dust and float on the bath surface. Medium sizes (1–5 mm) are the most versatile for bath addition in EAF and ladle operations. Coarser grades (5–10 mm) are preferred for bucket charging where premature oxidation during charge-down would waste material. We screen to standard distributions (0–1, 1–3, 3–5, 5–8, 0–5, 0–10, 1–10 mm) and can produce custom cuts to match your specific feed system and process requirements.

The choice depends on three factors: your sulfur limit, your carbon pickup rate requirement, and your budget. CAC (FC 90–95%) is the cost-effective choice for EAF steelmaking where sulfur limits are ≤0.035% and carbon recovery of 90%+ is achievable with proper addition practice. GPC (FC 98.5%+, S ≤0.05%) is essential when sulfur must stay below 0.015% — common in ductile iron, automotive steel, and specialty alloys. GPC also dissolves faster due to its graphitic crystal structure, making it preferred for induction furnaces with short cycle times. CPC (FC 98%+) occupies the middle ground: higher purity than CAC but more economical than GPC, suitable for general steelmaking and grey iron where ultra-low sulfur is not critical. Our technical team can recommend the optimal grade based on your furnace type, target chemistry, and cost parameters.

Gas calcination uses natural gas or coal gas as the heat source in rotary or shaft kilns, typically reaching 1,200–1,400°C. This is the dominant process in Ningxia and produces the majority of commercial CAC. Electrically calcined anthracite (ECA) uses an electric resistance furnace to achieve higher temperatures (up to 2,000°C), which drives off more volatile matter and can produce a denser, slightly higher-FC product. However, ECA is significantly more energy-intensive and expensive. For most steelmaking and foundry recarburizing applications, gas-calcined CAC delivers excellent performance at a more competitive price point. We produce gas-calcined CAC as our standard offering, with ECA available on special request for customers whose specifications require it.

Taixi anthracite, mined from the Helan Mountain range in Ningxia, is classified as a super-anthracite with inherently low ash (typically 5–8%), low sulfur (<0.4%), and low phosphorus — characteristics that are geological in origin and cannot be replicated through processing alone. The coal seam's unique metamorphic history produced a dense, high-rank coal with fixed carbon content naturally exceeding 90% before calcination. This means the calcined product inherits these purity advantages: lower ash means fewer non-metallic inclusions in your steel, lower sulfur means less ladle desulfurization needed, and lower phosphorus means reduced risk of cold shortness in finished steel. Panson's proximity to these deposits (within 200 km) allows us to source directly from mine operators, ensuring consistent feed quality and competitive raw material costs.

Standard products (CAC, GPC, CPC in common sizes) can be ordered from 20 metric tons, which is approximately one 20-foot container. For custom specifications — such as non-standard particle sizes, specific chemistry targets, or special packaging — the minimum is typically one production lot (40–60 MT depending on the product). We also accommodate trial orders of 5–10 MT for new customers who want to validate performance in their furnaces before committing to larger volumes. Annual framework agreements with quarterly call-offs are available for customers who require supply chain predictability.

Yes — and we strongly encourage sampling before committing to production orders. A 2–5 kg sample allows your laboratory to verify chemistry against our COA, and many customers run small-scale furnace trials to validate carbon recovery and dissolution behavior in their specific process conditions. We provide samples free of charge for up to three product grades per request. Sample shipment typically takes 5–7 business days via international courier. If you need larger quantities (50–200 kg) for a production-scale trial, we can arrange this at cost plus shipping.

For new customers, we typically work on T/T (telegraphic transfer) terms: 30% deposit upon order confirmation and 70% balance against copy of the Bill of Lading. Once a track record is established — usually after 3–5 successful transactions — we offer more flexible terms including L/C (Letter of Credit) at sight, D/P (Documents against Payment), and for established annual-contract customers, open account terms of Net 30 or Net 60 days. We accept payment in USD, EUR, and RMB. Our finance team works with major international banks to ensure smooth document handling and trade finance compliance.

Our ISO 9001:2015 quality management system governs every process from raw material acceptance through final shipping. In practice, this means: incoming materials are tested and must pass acceptance criteria before entering production inventory; calcination parameters are monitored continuously with deviations triggering automatic holds; every production lot is sampled and analyzed in our in-house laboratory before release; and all test data is archived for a minimum of three years for traceability. Beyond our internal systems, we routinely provide SGS inspection certificates, Bureau Veritas reports, or other third-party verification upon customer request. Many of our Japanese and European customers require independent verification, and we accommodate this as standard practice.

Each production lot is characterized across six primary parameters: fixed carbon (by proximate analysis), ash content, volatile matter, total sulfur (by infrared absorption), moisture, and particle size distribution (by sieve analysis). For GPC and CPC, we also measure nitrogen content and real density. Our laboratory uses calibrated instruments with traceability to national standards, and we participate in inter-laboratory comparison programs to validate our accuracy. The Certificate of Analysis (COA) that accompanies each shipment reflects actual measured values from that specific lot — not nominal or typical values. If your incoming quality team finds any parameter outside the COA range, we investigate immediately and resolve within 48 hours.

Carbon recovery rate measures how much of the added carbon actually dissolves into the molten metal versus what is lost to oxidation, slag absorption, or dust entrainment. It is calculated as: Recovery (%) = (ΔC × bath weight) / (additive weight × FC%) × 100. Several factors influence recovery: addition timing (adding carbon to a covered or semi-covered bath reduces oxidation losses); particle size (finer particles dissolve faster but are more susceptible to surface oxidation and float-off); bath temperature (higher temperatures accelerate dissolution kinetics); and stirring intensity (electromagnetic or gas stirring improves carbon-melt contact). Under optimized conditions, CAC typically achieves 85–92% recovery, GPC 92–96%, and CPC 88–94%. Our technical team can help you optimize these variables for your specific furnace practice.

We offer three standard packaging configurations: 1 MT FIBC jumbo bags (with lifting loops for crane handling, lined for moisture protection), 25 kg or 50 kg polypropylene woven bags palletized and stretch-wrapped for container loading, and bulk loading for customers with dedicated unloading infrastructure. All packaging is designed and tested for 20-foot and 40-foot container maritime shipping, with moisture barriers and fumigation compliance for destinations that require phytosanitary treatment. Custom labeling with your company name, lot number, and QR-linked COA is available for direct-to-warehouse delivery.

We ship from Tianjin (nearest to our Ningxia production base), Qingdao, and Shanghai ports under FOB, CIF, and CFR Incoterms. Standard lead time is 15–25 days from order confirmation for stock products, and 25–35 days for custom specifications that require a dedicated production run. For customers on annual framework agreements, we maintain buffer inventory to support emergency call-offs within 7–10 days. We work with established freight forwarders and can arrange full container loads (FCL) or less-than-container loads (LCL) depending on order volume. All shipments include full documentation: commercial invoice, packing list, Certificate of Analysis, Certificate of Origin, and Bill of Lading.

Carbon additives (CAC, GPC, CPC, Semi Coke) are generally classified as non-hazardous for shipping under IMDG Code. However, certain ports and customs authorities require specific documentation such as Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), certificates of non-radioactivity, or fumigation certificates for wooden pallets (ISPM 15 compliance). We provide all required documentation as part of our standard shipping package. For SiC and ferroalloys, which may have different classification requirements depending on particle size and moisture content, we work with certified freight forwarders experienced in metallurgical commodities to ensure full regulatory compliance for the destination country.

Carbon additives are chemically stable and do not degrade over time — there is no expiration date in the traditional sense. However, moisture absorption is the primary concern during storage. CAC, GPC, and CPC should be stored in covered, dry warehouses, ideally on pallets to prevent ground moisture wicking. Our FIBC bags include moisture-barrier inner liners rated for up to 6 months of ocean transit and open-air storage. For long-term storage (6+ months), we recommend indoor warehousing and periodic moisture checks — carbon products that absorb moisture above 3% can generate steam when added to molten metal, creating safety hazards and reducing effective carbon recovery. We provide specific storage guidelines with each product shipment.