F 249/L ALRO 80

Found Manuel Works, Whitecross.

Alro is confirmed as a GR – Stein brand. It is a chemically bonded product.

On being bought over by the Cookson/Vesuvius group it’s manufacture was transferred to its Polish operation at Skawina near Krakow.

GR – Stein also made a high chrome alumina brick branded ALCRO.

  • Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire.
  • Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire.
  • Stein & Co, Anchor Brickworks, Denny, Stirlingshire.
  • Milnquarter Fireclay & Gannister Works, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire.

Richard John Bramall notes – Alro products were never just ‘Stein’ products – they were GR products and then ‘GR-Stein’ products.

Alro Bricks were made at GR’s  Bawtry Works in North Nottinghamshire until the GR / Stein merger although some production may have transferred to Manuel when Bawtry began to concentrate on Carbon products. But I’m pretty sure that Bawtry retained Alro production until production moved to Poland.
Stein didn’t make chemically bonded bricks at the time of the merger – they had no equivalent to Alro.
One final point is that the products are dense but I don’t think that Alro products were particularly dense or rather they don’t seem to have been any denser than Sillmax or Stein products of a similar Alumina content.
Alro 43 – BD 2.36
Alro 80  2.82
Stein 45 D 2.32
Stein 84 2.90
Sillmax 90 2.91
Incidentally, I think ALro stood for ALumina bricks for ROtary kilns – they were mainly made for use in rotary cement kilns.

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