Ferromolybdenum (FeMo) master alloy

01

Pick the grade: molybdenum range and impurity limits

Climax Molybdenum's 60/70 datasheet lists molybdenum at 60.00–70.00% by weight with maximums of 1.00% soluble silicon, 0.50% copper, 0.15% sulfur, 0.10% carbon and 0.05% phosphorus, balance principally iron. [1] Its 65/75 datasheet, for material produced in the United Kingdom, lists 65.00–75.00% molybdenum with 1.50% soluble silicon, 0.50% copper, 0.10% sulfur, 0.05% carbon and 0.05% phosphorus maximum. [2] Jinduicheng Molybdenum (JDC) lists four grades under its enterprise standard Q/JDC 007-2012: FeMo65 (the Mo cell begins ≥65%, with additional entries discussed below), FeMo60A and FeMo60B (Mo 60–65%) and FeMo55 (Mo 55–60%), each with carbon 0.10%, phosphorus 0.05%, tin 0.04% and antimony 0.04% maximum; sulfur is 0.08% for FeMo65, 0.10% for FeMo60A and FeMo55 and 0.15% for FeMo60B; silicon is 1.0% except 1.5% for FeMo60B; copper is 0.30% for FeMo65 and 0.50% for the others. [3]

The reviewed historical GB/T 3649-2008 excerpt adopts ISO 5452:1980 with modifications, replaced GB/T 3649-1987, cut the grades from 9 designations to 6 and adjusted the molybdenum, carbon, sulfur and copper contents; its normative references include methods for molybdenum, antimony, copper, silicon and phosphorus, and an informative appendix gives a phenylfluorone photometric method for tin. The grade table itself is not in the public excerpt reviewed, so agree the applicable edition and grade with the supplier; this excerpt review does not establish the currently ordered standard. [4]

Editorial note: the grade name alone does not fix the impurity limits — the 65/75 and FeMo65 sheets above differ on sulfur, carbon and copper — so state each element limit in the order rather than citing a grade name only.

JDC’s FeMo65 row requires clarification: within its Mo cell, the first line is ≥65, followed by the unlabelled values 60.00, 57.00, 55.00, 60.00, 55.00 and 60.00. Those values cannot all be treated as the same minimum, and the page does not explain their assignment. They are reproduced here as a source-table ambiguity, not alternative certified grades; request the corrected grade sheet and lot certificate from JDC. The other named grade rows have their own Mo ranges as stated above. [3]

Give the supplier the grade and the standard or datasheet it must meet, minimum or range of molybdenum, maximum Si, S, P, C, Cu, Sn and Sb, the analysis basis and methods, size fraction, packing, lot size, certificate of analysis requirements and delivery schedule.

02

Check how it is made, the size fraction and packing

IMOA states that between 30 and 40% of technical molybdenum oxide production is processed into ferromolybdenum: the oxide is mixed with iron oxide and reduced by aluminium in a thermite reaction, producing an ingot weighing hundreds of kilograms; after air cooling, the ingot is crushed and screened to specified particle size ranges. The roasted molybdenite concentrate fed to this step has a listed minimum 57% molybdenum and <0.1% sulfur (typ. in IMOA’s processing description). [5] The reviewed Climax REV24-01 sheets list its alloy in a range of sizes for furnace or ladle addition: lump (plus 3/4 inch), nut (3/4 inch x 1/5 inch), ladle (1/4 inch and under) and small ladle (20 mesh and under) in the United States, packed in 200 lb steel drums or 2,500 lb bags [1]; and 10–50, 5–50, 5–30 and 2–10 mm in the United Kingdom, packed in 250 kg steel drums or 1,000 kg and 2,000 kg bags. [2]

JDC delivers lump or granular material in 3–20 mm, 10–50 mm and 10–100 mm sizes, packed in iron drums of 100 kg or 250 kg net (weight tolerance ±2‰) or bags of 1,000 kg net. [3] GB/T 3649-2008 specifies iron drums of 100 kg or bags of 1,000 kg net, with other packing by agreement, and refers particle-size sampling and acceptance to GB/T 13247. [4]

Editorial calculation: using the defined conversions 1 lb =0.45359237 kg and 1 in =25.4 mm, the US sheet’s 200 lb net drum converts to approximately 90.7 kg and its 2500 lb net bag to approximately 1134.0 kg; its 3/4 in lump threshold converts to 19.05 mm and 1/4 in to 6.35 mm. These are unit conversions of separate catalogue entries, not measured package weights or declarations that the US and UK size fractions are equivalent. [1]

03

Grade sheet and delivery-lot analysis

Jinduicheng lists ferromolybdenum and small-size ferromolybdenum as furnace-charge products. Match the quoted grade sheet to the delivery-lot certificate, including any stricter impurity limits.

When requesting quotations, ask each supplier for the grade datasheet or certificate of analysis, the standard it certifies to, the size fractions it screens, packing options, safety data sheet and lot traceability.

04

Thermite feed, screened alloy and delivery package

IMOA describes an oxide-to-alloy processing route. The incoming alloy order instead specifies composition, screened fraction and package mass; the feed composition is not the finished alloy analysis. [5]

05

Mo assay, impurity ceilings and screened fraction

Tie each chemical limit to a named grade and document. Record particle-size acceptance, package net mass and the certificate basis separately.

06

Send grade, limits, size and packing together

Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.

Grade: [FeMo55; FeMo60; FeMo65; 65/75]
Standard: [GB/T 3649; maker datasheet]
Mo: [% range]
Max: [Si; S; P; C; Cu; Sn; Sb]
Size: [mm]
Packing: [drum kg; bag kg]
Quantity: [t]

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