A magnesia-carbon brick comprised of about 50 to about 95% by weight magnesia and about 1 to about 20% by weight carbon, with or without metallic additions, such that the chemical analysis of the mixture of aggregates used in the brick will comprise, by chemical analysis, about 2 to about 15% SiO2, about 3 to about 50% Al2O3, and about 50 to about 95% MgO.