After the reform and opening up, the country turned to focus on economic construction, and economic construction began to enter a track of rapid development. In 1980, the national crude steel output reached 37 million tons, but the three aspects of product quantity, variety, and quality could not meet the needs of national economic development. The Ministry of Metallurgy has accelerated the introduction of advanced foreign technology and equipment, stepped up transformation efforts, and developed technologies such as combined blown converter, continuous casting, and continuous rolling. During the "Sixth Five-Year Plan" and the "Seventh Five-Year Plan" period, projects such as Shougang 210t converter, Taiyuan Iron & Steel's 50t converter, Chongqing Iron & Steel's 50t converter, Daye Steel Plant's 50t electric furnace, and Shagang's 70t electric furnace were newly built. The Ministry of Metallurgy has introduced or built a batch of out-of-furnace refining equipment such as LF, VD, DH, RH, VOD, AOD and a total of about 77 continuous casting machines through the introduction, digestion, absorption and localization. The Ministry of Metallurgy started construction in December 1978 on Baosteel's Phase I project, which introduced advanced technologies and equipment from Japan, Germany and the United States. It was completed and put into operation in September 1985, with one 4063m3 blast furnace and three 300t oxygen converters. In October 1984, the construction of the second phase of Baosteel's project began, and it was completed and put into operation in 1991. A new 4063m3 blast furnace and two sets of 1900mm slab continuous casters imported from Japan were built. Tianjin Seamless Steel Pipe Company introduced 150t UHP electric furnace, LF refining furnace, VD vacuum furnace and four-strand round billet continuous casting machine from Germany, Italy and the United States. The construction began in June 1989 and was put into production in December 1992. The completion and commissioning of Baosteel's first and second phases and Tianjin seamless steel pipes indicate that China has a world-class large-scale modern steel complex and electric furnace short-process steel plant in the late 1980s. In 1992, the national crude steel output was 80.94 million tons, converter steel accounted for 61.3% (top and bottom combined blown converter steel accounted for 8.8%), electric furnace steel accounted for 21.7%, and continuous casting accounted for 30%.

The advanced iron and steel plant that has been introduced and constructed, together with the main equipment, has also been equipped with key refractory materials. During this period, the Ministry of Metallurgy also introduced or rebuilt some important refractory material production lines for Baosteel and other projects, such as the 50,000-ton high-purity magnesia production line of Liaomei Company, the refractory production line for hot blast stoves, and the oil-immersed magnesia dolomite for converters. Brick production line, steel ladle production line, continuous casting nozzle production line, etc.; however, after the foreign refractory materials purchased as a complete set are used up, domestic refractories are used. Both the variety and quality are far from meeting the needs of steel production. For example, the three-piece continuous casting production line of Qingdao Refractory Plant introduced from Japan and put into production, the immersion nozzle can only meet the average continuous casting and continuous casting of 3.88 furnaces, but Baosteel's production requires 6 to 8 continuous casting and continuous casting furnaces after it is put into production. Baosteel had to import submerged nozzles at high prices. At the beginning of Baosteel's production, the converter lining was designed with sintered oil-immersed magnesia dolomite bricks. Later, the magnesia-carbon bricks were imported from Japan. A set of lining cost more than US$800,000, and the average furnace age was only about 800 furnaces. Since domestic refractory materials could not meet the production requirements of these advanced steel companies, when the country’s foreign exchange was very tight at that time, they had to spend a lot of foreign exchange to "buy bricks." In the initial stage of production, Baosteel spent more than US$100,000 a day on imported refractory materials, which exposed the considerable gap between domestic refractory materials and the advanced level of foreign countries, and seriously delayed the development of the iron and steel industry. This fully highlights the importance of refractories and shows that the development of the iron and steel industry is inseparable from refractories. The issue of refractory materials is not only anxious for employees in the refractory industry, but also aroused the attention of senior leaders (leaders of the Ministry of Metallurgy and even national leaders). This is an important factor for refractories to be included in the national "Eighth Five-Year" science and technology plan.

In 1996, China's crude steel output exceeded 100 million tons for the first time, reaching 1012.4 million tons, making China the world's largest steel producer for the first time. During the "Eighth Five-Year Plan" period, the Ministry of Metallurgy has vigorously promoted the longevity of ironmaking blast furnaces and the development of the "three-in-one" of steelmaking, continuous casting and refining to full continuous casting and high-efficiency continuous casting; promoted converter slag splash protection technology; eliminated outdated smelting equipment Towards large-scale development. During this period, the Ministry of Metallurgy has introduced and built a batch of internationally advanced clean steel smelting, slab, round billet and thin slab continuous casting and rolling production lines. For example, Zhujiang Steel Works 150t UHP electric furnace + 150t LF refining furnace + CSP process, Baotou Steel blast furnace + 210t combined blowing converter + 200t LF refining furnace + CSP process, Handan Iron and Steel blast furnace + 120t converter + 120t LF refining furnace + CSP process and other three thin slab continuous casting Continuous rolling production line; Baosteel's third phase project introduced and constructed two 250t combined blown converters, one 150t double furnace shell DC electric furnace, one 6-strand round billet continuous caster, two 1450mm double-strand slab continuous casters, etc. Technology and equipment; WISCO introduced and constructed a modern third steelmaking plant such as 3200m3 blast furnace + 250t converter + slab continuous casting machine. By the end of the 1990s, more than 30 UHP electric furnaces were built or introduced and put into production, including 5 ABB-type DC electric furnaces with bottom blowing system (2 100t, 2 60t, 1 70t), and the bottom anode is conductive. Refractory materials. In order to improve the quality of coke, Baosteel 4×75t·h-1, Shougang 1×65t·h-1 and other dry quenching devices have been introduced and constructed successively. Many of the refractory materials required by the imported international advanced steel manufacturing technology and dry quenching equipment are not available in our country before, and they are all imported. Like the steel industry, the building materials, light industry and other industries have also introduced and constructed large-scale dry-process cement kilns, float glass kilns, ceramic kilns, color picture tube glass kilns and other new types of kilns, and most of the refractory materials required are also dependent on import.

The rapid development of high-temperature industrial technology and equipment such as iron and steel has put forward newer and higher quality requirements for refractory materials. The refractory industry only relies on the scientific and technological breakthroughs of the "Eighth Five-Year Plan", which is far from being able to solve the main key problems. The "Ninth Five-Year Plan" must continue to organize the introduction of technology digestion and absorption, and localization of scientific and technological research, so that the variety and quality of refractory materials can quickly follow. The pace of development of high-temperature industries such as Shanghai Iron and Steel has completely reversed the backwardness of China's refractory industry.