Boron (B): Uses, Supply Chain and Market
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Boron does not occur as an element in nature; it is mined as borate minerals, chiefly colemanite, kernite, tincal and ulexite, and sold as borates and boric acid. In 2025 Turkey produced an estimated 1,500 kt, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The United States was a net exporter of boron in 2025. Boron is on the US and EU (critical and strategic) critical minerals lists.
$540/t
boron products, average unit value of combined imports (cost, insurance, freight) in 2025 (-6% on 2024)
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official critical minerals lists (US, EU, Australia, Canada) that include boron
Which countries produce boron?
| Country | 2024 | 2025 (estimate) | Share of 2025 world | Reserves (kt) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey, refined borates | 1,800 | 1,500 | - | 950,000 |
| Bolivia, ulexite | 230 | 380 | - | NA |
| Chile, ulexite | 470 | 300 | - | 35,000 |
| China, boric oxide equivalent | 210 | 230 | - | 9,100 |
| Peru, crude borates | 190 | 220 | - | 4,000 |
| Argentina, crude ore | 160 | 170 | - | NA |
| Russia, datolite ore | 90 | 80 | - | 40,000 |
| Germany, compounds | 45 | 40 | - | NA |
| United States | NA | Withheld | - | 48,000 |
| World total (USGS, rounded) | NA | NA | - | NA |
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Boron. Shares are calculated from the country figures and can differ by a point or two from percentages USGS states in its text, because USGS rounds its figures. NA means not available; Withheld means USGS withheld the figure to avoid disclosing company data.
What is boron used for?
Boron products are priced and sold on their boric oxide content. Four borate minerals (colemanite, kernite, tincal and ulexite) account for 90% of the borate minerals used by industry worldwide.
- Glass and ceramics: the leading domestic users of boron products in the United States in 2025
- Ceramics, detergents, fertilizers and glass: more than three-quarters of world consumption, from more than 300 applications
- Other uses: abrasives, cleaning products, insecticides, insulation and semiconductor production
How much does boron cost?
| Price | Unit | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boron products, average unit value of combined imports (cost, insurance, freight) | dollars per metric ton | 394 | 485 | 606 | 574 | 540 |
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Boron. The 2025 figures are USGS estimates. Prices are annual averages of the series named in each row, so they are not live quotes.
Is boron a critical mineral?
Boron is on the US and EU (critical and strategic) critical minerals lists. Each government builds its list with its own method, so a mineral can be critical in one place and not in another.
| Jurisdiction | Status |
|---|---|
| United States | Critical mineral (final 2025 list) |
| European Union | Critical and strategic |
| Australia | Not listed |
| Canada | Not listed |
Lists last checked against the primary publications on October 12, 2026. See the comparison of all four lists.
What are the substitutes for boron?
USGS names substitutes for 4 applications of boron, for example detergents: sodium percarbonate, which needs lower temperatures to undergo hydrolysis. Full boron substitutes page.
Can boron be recycled?
USGS rates boron recycling as insignificant.
What are the supply risks and recent events for boron?
- June 2025. The European Commission designated the Jadar project in western Serbia, for boron and lithium, as a strategic project under the Critical Raw Materials Act. It was expected to produce 286,000 tons per year of boric acid at full production.
- July 2025. An Australia-based developer delayed construction of its lithium project in Nevada, which would produce about 170,000 tons per year of boric acid as a byproduct, until March 2026 after an 80% fall in lithium prices from 2022. Initial production was expected in 2028.
- May 2025. A Canada-based developer of a boron project in Piskanja, Serbia signed a letter of intent to renovate the Pobrdje Mine, a colemanite deposit with an estimated 21-year mine life.
- November 2025. Boron was added to the US Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals after public comment and interagency input.
US import sources, 2021 to 2024. All forms: Turkey, 90%; Bolivia, 6%; and other, 4%. (USGS)
Resources. The largest economically viable borate deposits are in the Mojave Desert of the United States, the Alpide belt along the southern margin of Eurasia and the Andean belt of South America. About 70% of Turkey's deposits are colemanite. USGS says world resources are adequate for the foreseeable future.
Which boron projects are on official lists?
| Project | Country | Promoter | Stage | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAREMAG | France | Caremag SAS | Processing | EU, March 2025 |
| Jadar | Serbia | Rio Tinto via the local entity Rio Sava Exploration doo | Extraction | Outside the EU, June 2025 |
Source: annexes to Commission Decisions C(2025) 1904, C(2025) 3491 and C(2026) 8051. The Commission calls every listed project ongoing; that is not the same as operating. A project is listed here for each material the annex names for it.
Which companies produce or process boron?
| Company | Country | Role | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Tinto | United Kingdom and Australia (US Borates operation) | Borates producer (LSE: RIO; ASX: RIO; NYSE: RIO) | Its fourth quarter 2025 operations review gives borates production of 502 thousand tonnes of B2O3 content in 2025 (504 in 2024) from US Borates, and says Borates and Iron & Titanium moved to its Chief Commercial Officer's portfolio for strategic review, with production guidance no longer provided for them. Rio Tinto: fourth quarter 2025 operations review (21 January 2026) |
| Eti Maden | Turkey | Boron miner and refiner | Its Bandırma page says Turkey holds 73% of world boron reserves, which is the company's figure, and that the Bandırma boron and acid factory, completed in 1967, makes about 300,000 to 350,000 tonnes of refined boron products a year, including boric acid, borax decahydrate and pentahydrate and ground colemanite. Eti Maden: Bandırma boron and acid factory page |
Each row links to the document that supports it. The list is not exhaustive and is not a ranking.
Frequently asked questions
What is boron used for?
Boron is used in glass and ceramics, ceramics, detergents, fertilizers and glass and other uses. Glass and ceramics: the leading domestic users of boron products in the United States in 2025.
Which country produces the most boron?
Turkey produces the most boron: an estimated 1,500 kt in 2025, according to the USGS production, all forms figures.
Is boron a critical mineral?
Yes. Boron is on the US and EU (critical and strategic) critical minerals lists. The United States added boron to its list in November 2025, when the final list grew from 50 to 60 minerals. The United States was a net exporter of boron in 2025.
How much does boron cost?
USGS reports the average 2025 price of boron at $540/t (boron products, average unit value of combined imports (cost, insurance, freight); -6% on 2024).
Sources
Read on October 14, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Boron. Production, reserves, uses, substitutes, recycling and events
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: introduction (Table 7 and Figures 10A and 10B). Net import reliance, leading producer and price changes for critical minerals
- Federal Register: Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2024/1252
- Department of Industry, Science and Resources: Australia’s Critical Minerals List and Strategic Materials List
- Government of Canada: Canada’s critical minerals
- Rio Tinto: fourth quarter 2025 operations review (21 January 2026)
- Eti Maden: Bandırma boron and acid factory page
