For many outside the foundry and raw materials industry, chromite sand is an unfamiliar term. It’s a classic niche product, yet one that reveals its unique technical properties in the production processes of high-quality cast parts. These physical and chemical properties, including high density, heat resistance, and chemical stability, make it the preferred molding sand in the foundry industry. It allows for precise shaping of complex geometries in casts, which also need to exhibit high heat resistance to be suitable for applications in the automotive industry, mechanical engineering, and custom manufacturing.
Chromite sand is no ordinary sand. Its dense and refractory structure prevents impurities in workpieces and ensures a high level of quality in the final product. These properties make the sand difficult to replace—a unique feature that has proven to be a decisive advantage in a demanding and competitive market. Chromite sand is special on many levels, especially for the COFERMIN Group.
Chromite sand is, so to speak, a founding member of the COFERMIN Group and remains an important pillar of our business to this day, continually developed and grown over the years. As early as the 1990s, Bernhard Krueger brought this special raw material to Europe, establishing extensive customer and supplier relationships. The “King of Chrome” (link to article) recognized early on that this niche product could become a key pillar of COFERMIN’s business. Bernhard certainly deserves his share of accolades for this!
Back to chromite sand, the true star of this article. The versatility of chromite sand is enhanced by several factors. Through different grades and grain sizes, applications in other areas such as refractory materials or industrial coatings become possible. With specialized drying and dedusting processes, as well as AM-grade quality, we can offer this raw material at a level that allows our customers to execute even very specialized applications.
However, these factors bring no added value without the right delivery timing. Timing is everything! A crucial part of our business is global networking, with China playing a key role as the largest and most important market. There, production cycles, re-stocking or de-stocking are closely linked to regional events such as the Chinese New Year. The annual festival, which in 2025 is celebrated on January 28, marks a phase that often determines the direction of raw material prices for the coming months.
To guarantee reliable supply to our customers, we rely on proactive planning and optimized inventory management. Weeks in advance, we coordinate our supply chains with partners in South Africa to ensure uninterrupted raw material supply. Close collaboration with our suppliers enables us to provide JUST-IN-TIME deliveries even during this special phase. Those who understand the dynamics and patterns of the chrome markets have a clear advantage here.
This is reflected, among other things, in our long-standing and loyal customer and supplier relationships, which are shaped by the company alongside Tim Scholten, COFERMIN Chrome’s acting MD. Long-term, trusting cooperation with a clear focus on individual needs remains our goal.
And even though the COFERMIN Group is now highly diversified and has realized growth in industries such as animal feed, construction chemicals, and many others, chromite sand has been and remains a cornerstone of ours.
Tim Scholten
Managing Director
I have been with COFERMIN Chrome since 2020 and started as Head of Sales. In April 2022, I was then appointed to the management of COFERMIN Chrome. The existing dynamics on the global markets represent a constantly changing challenge that my team and I take on every day. The daily contact with customers and the creation of customised solutions as well as the exchange with our suppliers in South Africa, among other places, are part of our everyday professional life, which never gets boring.