It is easy to measure the strength of refractory materials at room temperature, and
while this data is useful for quality assurance testing, it is of little importance when trying to evaluate a refractory castable for use in a high-temperature application.
High cold strengths are impressive on paper but may mean a weak material at operating conditions.
To truly evaluate the attributes of a refractory castable or any refractory for that matter, it is more important to be concerned with the hot measured properties.