Why do you pick the refractory you do? How do you choose? Where do you start the selection process? Where do you start? The answers to the first three questions is always a balance of competing interests between operations, purchasing, and the suppliers - the refractory engineer/selector is at a cross-roads to decide which is the correct material for each application. The goal of this book is not to select refractories for any individual facility or process or piece of equipment, but instead to give a step by step process on how to do it. It will be a guideline, with enough depth to provide a good solid basis for material selection, but well short of the depth needed to actually design a material from a refractory manufacturer point of view. The examples are for steelmaking only as it makes up 80% of the dollar spend of a steel plant ( 50% of the worldwide refractory market); however, the process can be used in any refractory application in any industry. The background for this book is 25 years of trial/error, success/failure, which has determined a tried and true methodology for success.