In the face of ever more pressing environmental challenges, hydrogen is anticipated to play an important role in the decarbonization of the steel industry. Importantly, there is a number of different ways it can be introduced in steelmaking processes: it can reduce iron oxide in the blast furnace or in the direct reduction of iron (DRI) in the place of more traditional reductants such as coke or natural gas; hydrogen in its plasma form could also be used to reduce iron oxide in the hydrogen plasma smelting reduction (HPSR) process; H2 can be used as a combustible in industrial furnaces to substitute fossil fuels or natural gas. Each new use of hydrogen will, however, bring about new challenges to refractory materials. When used as reducing agent for iron ores, H2 could also reduce and volatilize components of the refractory lining, leading to weight loss, a decrease in density, and the deterioration of the mechanical properties. The hydrogen flame will present a higher temperature and volumetric flow rate, which will affect the heat transfer inside the furnace. It will also produce a flue gas with a high water content, potentially causing the corrosion of the refractory lining with the formation of volatile hydroxides. The implications of hydrogen use for refractory materials are, however, not fully understood, and this presentation will show, based on a comprehensive literature review, what is currently known as well as the open questions that need to be addressed to ensure a reliable performance of the refractory lining.