Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI Iron)

Definition of HBI

Hot Briquetted Iron, known as HBI or HBI iron, is a premium form of Direct Reduced Iron (DRI).As a supplement for pig iron and scrap in electric furnace steel mills. It is a compacted form of direct reduced iron (DRI), which facilitates its handling, storage, and use. Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) has been compacted at a temperature greater than 650° C at the time of compaction and has a density greater than 5,000 kilograms per cubic meter (5,000 kg/m3).

Typical Specifications of HBI

The advantage of Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI)

HBI is a much safer form of DRI than DRI pellets. It is far more resistant to overheating if it becomes wet. 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 principal market for HBI is electric arc furnace (EAF) steel-making, but HBI also finds application as a trim coolant in basic oxygen furnace (BOF) steel-making and as blast furnace feedstock.