Purpose: Refractory life, in Al-casting processes such as alloy wheel production, is obviously affected by the inclusions formed in the transfer ladles and holding/melting furnaces in which melting, fluxing and degassing operations are carried out. The short refractory life affects, adversely, the economical aspect of the process. Therefore, a study on the physical and chemical properties of the above mentioned inclusions has been started. The main purpose of the study is to understand the relationships among the metallurgical processes taking place during casting, properties of the refractories used and the formation of inclusions.Design/methodology/approach: During this industry-university joint study, experimental studies using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and optical microscopy were used to investigate the nature and properties of the inclusions. Also, corrosion behaviour of six different refractories was investigated by exposing them to molten aluminium.