Monolithic refractory castables comprising a hydraulic bond are still used in a vast majority of cases because of their flexibility and robustness, despite many developments for chemical as well as non-cement castable binders. The drying can however be a challenge, in particular for deflocculated dense castables of the low cement castable range. Many publications have been released on this topic for the last ten years, but they often focused on the drying mechanisms or on the addition of drying aids. This paper presents some experimental results on the effect of the composition on the drying properties, especially on the effect of silicon carbide, used for its high thermal conductivity, and on the matrix system. It also introduces two laboratory tests to study and iteratively improve the drying schedule of a given castable lining. The results show that the spalling resistance and the vapor pressure build-up are significantly influenced by the formulation. It is also shown that the castable properties after drying can be altered if the heating rate is very high.