Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI) is a premium form of DRI that has been compacted at a temperature greater than 650° C at time of compaction and has a density greater than 5,000 kilograms per cubic meter (5,000 kg/m3).
HBI was developed as a product in order to overcome the problems associated with shipping and handling of DRI – due to the process of compaction it is very much less porous and therefore very much less reactive than DRI and does not suffer from the risk of self-heating associated with DRI.
The principle market for HBI is electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking, but HBI also finds application as a trim coolant in basic oxygen furnace (BOF) steelmaking and as blast furnace feedstock.
| Row | ITEM | PCT By Weight (%) | Range |
| 1 | Metallization (MD) | 91 | Min |
| 2 | Fe Total | 88 | Min |
| 3 | Fe Metallic | 80 | Min |
| 4 | Carbon | 1 | Min |
| 5 | Sulphur | 0.03 | Max |
| 6 | Phosphorous | 0.08 | Max |
| 7 | SiO2+CaO+Al2O3+MgO | 7.5 | Max |
Benefits of Charging HBI in the Steelmaking Furnace
- Low residual element content enables production of high quality steel products or use of higher percentage of lower cost scrap in the charge mix
- Known and consistent chemistry, certified by analysis, assists melt consistency
- Consistent shape and form enable efficient material handling and storage
- High density can reduce the number of bucket charges, allows for increased use of lower cost, less dense feedstock and reduces storage space requirements
- Can be continuously charged to the furnace
- Acts as N scavenger = low N content in steel
Shipping and Handling
HBI – Direct Reduced Iron (A) – is classified as Group B (cargo with chemical hazard) and class MHB (material hazardous only in bulk) under the International Maritime Organization’s International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code, but, unlike DRI which requires shipment under an inert atmosphere, HBI requires only surface ventilation during shipment.