Stopper rod refractories play an important role in the quality of steel produced during continuous thin slab casting through their influence on the steel flow to the mold, mold level control performance and their contribution to steel cleanliness. Stopper rod tip refractories must resist air aspiration, erosive wear, oxidation and catastrophic failure to perform well in the thin slab casting environment. This paper presents work performed at Nucor Steel Decatur, LLC to characterize stopper rod tip wear quantitatively for different tip refractories and to identify potential causes and mechanisms for premature stopper rod tip failures.