Inoculants

Carpenter Brothers, Inc. supplies an extensive range of inoculants to the metal casting industry. Inoculants are used for grey and ductile iron. A well-selected inoculant will help to eliminate the chill and bring the carbon out as graphite. If you do not get a good inoculation, you have a higher propensity for chill and to form carbides in the iron. This will give poor mechanical properties and be difficult to machine.

We warehouse the standard 75% Ferrosilicon Foundry grade inoculant used by many foundries. 75% & 50% FeSi regular is not an inoculant because it has too low a level of calcium and aluminum. For 75%, FeSi Foundry grade silicon is the inoculant carrier, and aluminum and calcium are the inoculants. As a standard rule, you will want a combined weight of aluminum and calcium of 2%. You can get away with lower levels, but you can end up with chill if you get too low. Also, if your sulfur content is too low in your iron, then the inoculant will not work.

We also provide a wide range of proprietary inoculants from Elkem.  If you are getting carbides or chill in your iron, there is a good chance you need a more potent inoculant. The proprietary inoculants that we carry from Elkem can help you get good inoculation. The proprietary inoculants have various chemistries but can include strontium, zirconium, aluminum, barium, bismuth, or cerium. Carpenter Brothers can help you select the best inoculant for your application.