WHAT HAPPENED

The expansion will add capabilities to evaluate the suitability and behavior of iron-bearing feedstocks under direct-reduction conditions. The existing laboratory performs about 2,000 tests annually for blast-furnace quality assurance. According to thyssenkrupp Steel, current natural-gas direct-reduction testing uses process gas containing around 45% hydrogen.

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WHY IT MATTERS

Commercial context

The investment is a preparatory step rather than evidence that the future direct-reduction plant is operational. Commercially, the testing capability could help thyssenkrupp Steel define feedstock specifications and qualify pellet and lump-ore supplies for its planned lower-carbon production route. The company describes the laboratory as part of its transition toward hydrogen-based steelmaking.

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KEY DETAILS
  • Investment: €2.4 million.
  • Location: Duisburg-Schwelgern, Germany.
  • Contractor: Heat and Power Engineering GmbH.
  • Scope: ISO-compliant testing of pellets and lump ore for direct reduction.
  • Existing activity: approximately 2,000 tests per year supporting quality assurance for the blast-furnace route.
  • Current test condition: around 45% hydrogen in the process gas during natural-gas direct-reduction testing.
WHAT TO WATCH

Monitor the laboratory’s completion and subsequent feedstock qualification results. The supplied information does not specify the relevant completion or commissioning milestones or the future direct-reduction plant’s final capacity.

Source & methodology +

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Article status
Published · Version 1
Source date
Not supplied
MetalMate publication
26 September 2026
Verification
Automated evidence checks; not human reviewed

Quality check for raw materials of the green transformation: thyssenkrupp Steel invests in a laboratory for the iron ores of the future — thyssenkrupp Steel
MetalMate provides an English summary; consult the original wording.