MINERAL COMMODITY SUMMARIES 2026 - Version 1.3

Sep 18, 2026

Uploaded by Xiajie

MINERAL COMMODITY SUMMARIES 2026 compiles an authoritative overview of U.S. and global mineral production, consumption, and trade, with emphasis on how minerals are sourced, processed, and used across industries. The document includes commodity lists covering materials such as abrasives, fluorspar, mercury, silicon, and many others, and provides publication context through versioning and revision history. It also features explanatory cover material describing molten copper casting, refining into high-purity cathodes, and the chemistry behind observed gases and copper conductivity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages226

Reading Time9 h 30 min

AccessFree to download

Foreword

Publication and version information

Commodity lists overview

Cover description and copper processing context

MINERAL COMMODITY SUMMARIES 2026 | Abrasives | Fluorspar | Mercury | Silicon | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Aluminum | Gallium | Mica | Silver | | Antimony | Garnet | Molybdenum | Soda Ash | | Arsenic | Gemstones | Nickel | Stone | | Asbestos | Germanium | Niobium | Strontium | | Barite | Gold | Nitrogen | Sulfur | | Bauxite | Graphite | Palladium | Talc | | Beryllium | Gypsum | Peat | Tantalum | | Bismuth | Hafnium | Perlite | Tellurium | | Boron | Helium | Phosphate Rock | Thallium | | Bromine | Indium | Platinum | Thorium | | Cadmium | Iodine | Potash | Tin | | Cement | Iron and Steel | Pumice | Titanium | | Cesium | Iron Ore | Quartz | Tungsten | | Chromium | Iron Oxide Pigments | Rare Earths | Vanadium | | Clays | Kyanite | Rhenium | Vermiculite | | Cobalt | Lead | Rubidium | Wollastonite | | Copper | Lime | Salt | Yttrium | | Diamond | Lithium | Sand and Gravel | Zeolites | | Diatomite | Magnesium | Scandium | Zinc | | Feldspar | Manganese | Selenium | Zirconium | Version 1.3, May 2026 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover: Molten copper being poured into anode molds at Freeport-McMoRan Inc.'s smelter in Miami, AZ. Each solidified copper anode weighs approximately 390 kilograms and is about five centimeters (cm) thick, 90 cm wide, and 110 cm tall. Cast anodes, which consist of 99 .8% copper, are shipped to an electrolytic refinery to be further processed into cathodes with a copper purity of >99 .99% . The green and blue gases visible over the flowing molten copper are a result of fine copper oxide particles or trace amounts of copper vapor and impurities reacting with moisture, oxygen, and other chemical compounds (like carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere to form various copper salts. Copper (p. 72–73) has the lowest resistivity and highest electrical conductivity of all non-precious metals. It is widely used in electrical applications across a broad range of products, such as appliances, automobiles, building wire, data transmission lines, generators, lighting, microprocessors, motors, personal electronic devices, power and telecommunications cables, renewable energy systems (geothermal, solar, and wind), and transformers. In 2025, copper was designated as a critical mineral by the U. S. Geological Survey. The United States was the sixth-ranked global producer of both mined and refined copper. Cover design by Daniel M. Flanagan and Abraham J. Padilla, U. S. Geological Survey. Photograph by Daniel M. Flanagan, used with permission from Freeport-McMoRan Inc. MINERAL COMMODITY SUMMARIES 2026 | Abrasives | Fluorspar | Mercury | Silicon | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Aluminum | Gallium | Mica | Silver | | Antimony | Garnet | Molybdenum | Soda Ash | | Arsenic | Gemstones | Nickel | Stone | | Asbestos | Germanium | Niobium | Strontium | | Barite | Gold | Nitrogen | Sulfur | | Bauxite | Graphite | Palladium | Talc | | Beryllium | Gypsum | Peat | Tantalum | | Bismuth | Hafnium | Perlite | Tellurium | | Boron | Helium | Phosphate Rock | Thallium | | Bromine | Indium | Platinum | Thorium | | Cadmium | Iodine | Potash | Tin | | Cement | Iron and Steel | Pumice | Titanium | | Cesium | Iron Ore | Quartz | Tungsten | | Chromium | Iron Oxide Pigments | Rare Earths | Vanadium | | Clays | Kyanite | Rhenium | Vermiculite | | Cobalt | Lead | Rubidium | Wollastonite | | Copper | Lime | Salt | Yttrium | | Diamond | Lithium | Sand and Gravel | Zeolites | | Diatomite | Magnesium | Scandium | Zinc | | Feldspar | Manganese | Selenium | Zirconium | Version 1.3, May 2026 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia First Release: 2026, online Revised: March 2026 (ver. 1. 1), online and in print Revised: April 2026 (ver. 1.2), online Revised: May 2026 (ver. 1.3), online Manuscript approved for publication February 6, 2026. For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural haz

FAQs

What is MINERAL COMMODITY SUMMARIES 2026 and what does it cover?

It is the annual USGS statistical publication focused on U.S. and global mineral production, consumption, and trade, providing a consistent and trusted record while modernizing methods and dissemination.

What does version 1.3 (May 2026) indicate in the document?

Version 1.3 (May 2026) reflects the specific release iteration, with a documented revision history including earlier versions and online/print updates.

Which copper processing steps are described in the cover text?

The cover describes molten copper being poured into anode molds, casting copper anodes, shipping them to an electrolytic refinery, and producing cathodes with high copper purity, along with explanations for visible gases.

Sep 18, 2026

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