Based in the UK, the Institute of Refractories Engineers (I.R.E.) is the only organisation specifically dedicated to fostering the science, technology and skills of refractories engineering and to serving the needs of refractories engineers worldwide.

The Institute is a non-profit making body and the entire income and property of the Institute is applied towards the promotion of its objectives

When the foundations of the Institute were established in November 1961, the precepts were that the organisation should be a focal point for engineers involved in the design, construction and maintenance of refractory linings, but that membership would be open to any individual who was in any way associated with refractory materials and their usage.

As a consequence, the Institute has developed over the years with a membership comprising a whole cross-section of personnel with backgrounds in refractories research & development, design, engineering, manufacturing and installation contracting; together with respective personnel in all end user industries. Moreover, the fact that members have emanated from both white collar and craftsman, or operative backgrounds, has probably allowed a more productive blend of ideas and opinions to develop on the subject of refractories engineering, than could have been achievable by an organisation with a less flexible brief.

Photographs showing examples of refractories in use are shown on a separate page.

We now have four branches in the UK located in most of the industrialised areas:

We also have very well supported branches in South Africa and Australia, together with more than 140 other members worldwide, such that over 40% of our membership are now located overseas and this level is increasing. Each branch holds a series of technical meetings during the winter months along with a number of social activities. In addition we have our Annual Conference usually held in September.

We organise a series of the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) seminars in conjunction with Proskills (the sector skills council for processing industries), covering all aspects of refractories production and usage. These vary in content and can be targeted at personnel from both sides of industry who hold, for example, commercial or administrative positions and so may have little knowledge of the materials involved. Other seminars can be tailored to deal with more specialised in depth topics for technical and production personnel.

Seminars have been held at times during the past years. A “training day” will be held in September 2008 in conjunction with the Annual Conference.

We publish our own journal “The Refractories Engineer”, six times per year. This is distributed to all members worldwide and also to various educational institutions and professional organisations.

Go to Top