Metalloinvest is expanding the production of steel grinding balls to develop a full product line for mining and processing companies.
The company’s A.A. Ugarov Oskol Electrometallurgical Plant (OEMK) currently operates two ball-rolling complexes with a combined annual capacity of 150,000 tons, producing grinding balls with diameters ranging from 20 mm to 132 mm.
As the next step, Metalloinvest plans to build a specialized heat treatment section at the ball rolling mill in 2026. The facility will enable the production of 80-132 mm grinding balls in hardness groups 4 and 5, completing the company’s full product range for enterprises with different processing requirements.
Grinding balls in the fourth and fifth hardness groups offer higher wear resistance and improved performance, helping increase grinding efficiency while reducing mill maintenance costs due to their longer service life.
OEMK’s grinding balls are widely used in Russia for grinding ferrous and non-ferrous metal ores, cement, coal and refractory materials. Metalloinvest said expanding the product range will allow the company to offer more comprehensive solutions to customers.
Metalloinvest is a major global metals and mining company and the largest iron ore producer in Russia and the CIS. The vertically integrated group operates iron ore mining, pelletizing, HBI/DRI and steelmaking facilities, with annual production of about 36 mln tons of iron ore, 23 mln tons of pellets, 7.8 mln tons of HBI/DRI and 3.5 mln tons of crude steel.
