This dataset contains 733 published patent records filed between 2015 and mid-2026 that match core pelletizing terms crossed with binder and process-control terms such as bentonite binder, moisture control and drop number. The true figure for the field as a whole will be larger, since any search string sets a boundary rather than capturing every adjacent filing. Because families are the fairer counting unit, this total is expressed as patent families in the assignee ranking rather than raw document counts.

One assignee leads the ranked list with 63 records, well ahead of the fifth-ranked assignee at 35 and the tenth at 21. The top 5 assignees combined hold 32.2% of all 733 records in scope, and the top 10 combined hold 48.3%, meaning more than half of all filings sit outside the ten most active companies. That long tail includes universities, national steel producers and specialty chemical suppliers filing in smaller volumes.

Filing volume grew sharply in recent years, rising from 17 records in 2021 to 43 in 2024, a +153% increase, with 2024 standing as the peak year and the last year with complete publication coverage. Counts shown for 2025 and 2026 will look lower, but that reflects the roughly 18-month lag between filing and publication rather than an actual drop in activity. Anyone reading the trend chart should treat the final one to two years as still filling in.