Needle coke is a specialty grade of pet coke valued for its crystalline structure that makes it a good material for making electrodes.

Needle coke is typically produced from a dedicated coker that uses low-sulfur FCC slurry as feed stock. The high aromatics content of the FCC slurry results in the desired needle coke properties.

Refiners often sell low-sulfur FCC slurry to a third party needle coker, but there are some refineries with their own on-site dedicated needle coke coker.