JFE Chemical
Corporate brand
UnclaimedJFE Chemical is a Japanese materials and chemicals company that transforms coal- and steelmaking-related by-products into industrial chemicals, battery materials, functional materials, and other products.
Last updated September 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile yet.
Overview
JFE Chemical Corporation is a Japanese chemicals and materials company wholly owned by JFE Steel Corporation. It was established on April 1, 2003, through the merger of Kawasaki Steel’s chemical division and NKK Chemical Company Adchemco. The company is headquartered in the JFE Kuramae Building in Taito-ku, Tokyo, and has research and manufacturing locations in Chiba and western Japan. Its company profile reports 565 employees as of the end of March 2024. The company’s distinctive focus is coal chemistry: extracting useful substances from materials associated with steel production, including coal tar, gas, and iron oxide. It describes its work as separating, refining, and developing these materials into products for industrial and consumer-facing applications. Its portfolio spans basic chemicals, functional and fine chemicals, battery materials, magnetic and inorganic materials, and plastic molding materials. Listed products and product families include naphthalene, phthalic anhydride, benzene products, phenol and cresol products, pitch products, creosote oils, surfactants, polyimide varnish, specialty phenolic resins, stampable sheets, and iron oxide powders. Battery materials are an important part of its offer. JFE Chemical highlights hard carbon as a distinctive product and describes its input-output performance and durability as suited to applications including electric vehicles. The company also connects its products to lithium-ion battery anode materials and other advanced-technology uses. Its materials are used across industrial fields, including electronics, mobility, and plastics processing. JFE Chemical’s stated approach is to use chemical technology to give steelmaking by-products further material value and to develop products for changing needs. Its group includes domestic affiliates involved in ferrite cores, ferrite powders, stampable sheets, surfactants, fluorene derivatives, and isotropic pitch. The company also has group operations and facilities in China and Thailand, as well as its Japanese base. Its official website lists product information, research and development, manufacturing sites, and company information, and reports a 2035 vision announced in 2025.
History
JFE Chemical’s corporate history combines the chemical operations of two Japanese steel-industry companies. On April 1, 2003, Kawasaki Steel Corporation’s chemical division and NKK Chemical Company Adchemco merged to form JFE Chemical Corporation. The company became part of the JFE group and is wholly owned by JFE Steel Corporation. The company’s business is built around coal chemistry and the recovery and refinement of materials associated with steelmaking. Its official account describes how coal tar obtained through coal carbonization contains aromatic compounds that can be distilled, separated, and refined into useful substances. The company also identifies gas and iron oxide generated in the steelmaking process as raw materials for its products. Its stated purpose is to turn these by-products into new materials through chemical processing and research, rather than treating them only as residual outputs. The group expanded its operations and partnerships during the years following its formation. In 2004 it established Jiangmen JFE Magnetic Materials in Guangdong, China. In 2005 it established Shandong JFE Xinghua Chemical in Shandong, China, and reorganized its iron oxide business by establishing JFE Magpowder. In 2006, research and development activities previously distributed within the company and JFE Steel’s research institute were consolidated into a Chemical Research Laboratory. In 2010, JO Carbon was established at the Kurashiki Works, and J Ferrite Powder (Thailand) Company Limited was established in Rayong, Thailand. In 2013, the company established Zaozhuang JFE Xinghua Chemical in Shandong, China. In 2015, commissioned carbon-gas purification work was transferred to JFE Steel. In 2019, the company established Wuhai Baojie New Energy Materials in Inner Mongolia, China. JFE Chemical’s current portfolio spans basic chemicals, fine and functional chemicals, battery materials, magnetic and inorganic materials, and plastic molding materials. It identifies hard carbon as a distinctive battery-material product and says that it offers performance and durability relevant to electric-vehicle applications. Other official product listings include aromatic compounds derived from coal tar, iron oxide powders, stampable sheets, surfactants, polyimide varnish, and specialty resins. Its domestic group companies also make or sell ferrite cores, ferrite powders, stampable sheets, surfactants, fluorene derivatives, and isotropic pitch. The company’s official site presents its role as applying the technology of coal chemistry to future material needs. In 2025 it announced an “Aripro Vision 2035,” and its news listings include exhibition participation and public-facing educational content about coal tar chemistry. The supplied material does not establish a more recent change in ownership or corporate status.
JFE Chemical was established through the merger of Kawasaki Steel’s chemical division and NKK Chemical Company Adchemco.
[3]Jiangmen JFE Magnetic Materials was established in Guangdong, China.
[3]Shandong JFE Xinghua Chemical was established in Shandong, China.
[3]The iron oxide business was reorganized and JFE Magpowder was established.
[3]Research and development activities were consolidated into the Chemical Research Laboratory.
[3]JO Carbon was established at the Kurashiki Works, and J Ferrite Powder (Thailand) Company Limited was established in Rayong, Thailand.
[3]Zaozhuang JFE Xinghua Chemical was established in Shandong, China.
[3]Commissioned carbon-gas purification work was transferred to JFE Steel.
[3]Wuhai Baojie New Energy Materials was established in Inner Mongolia, China.
[3]JFE Chemical announced its “Aripro Vision 2035.”
[1]
Products and positioning
An industrial chemicals and materials producer that applies coal-chemistry expertise to convert steelmaking-related by-products into higher-value products, including materials for batteries, mobility, electronics, and plastics.
Hard carbon battery material
A battery material the company describes as a distinctive product, with input-output characteristics and durability suited to applications including electric vehicles.
Coal-tar-derived chemicals
Aromatic compounds and chemical intermediates recovered and refined from coal tar, including products based on indene, fluorene, and acenaphthene.
Iron oxide powders and magnetic materials
The company lists a range of iron oxide powders, including nanoscale material, as well as magnetic and ferrite-related materials.
Stampable sheet (KP Sheet)
A sheet-form press-molding substrate whose main materials are glass fiber and thermoplastic polypropylene.
Polyimide varnish and specialty resins
Listed among the company’s functional chemical and resin product families.
Basic chemical products
The official product listing includes naphthalene, phthalic anhydride, benzene products, phenol and cresol products, pitch products, and creosote oils.
Sources5 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/jfe-chemical · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled