Fluorspar: Uses, Supply Chain and Market
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Fluorspar is calcium fluoride; acid-grade fluorspar is the feedstock for hydrofluoric acid, and the United States has reported no significant mine production since 1995. In 2025 China produced an estimated 6,000 kt, 59% of world mine production (USGS world total: 10,000 kt), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). US net import reliance for fluorspar in 2025 was 100%. Fluorspar is on all four official critical minerals lists: the US, EU, Australian and Canadian.
$470/t
acid grade, average unit value of imports (cost, insurance, freight) in 2025 (+1% on 2024)
Which countries produce fluorspar?
| Country | 2024 | 2025 (estimate) | Share of 2025 world | Reserves (kt) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 6,000 | 6,000 | 59% | 110,000 |
| Mexico | 1,510 | 1,500 | 15% | 68,000 |
| Mongolia | 1,430 | 1,500 | 15% | 34,000 |
| South Africa | 447 | 410 | 4% | 41,000 |
| Vietnam | 146 | 160 | 1.6% | 16,000 |
| Spain | 138 | 140 | 1.4% | 15,000 |
| Brazil | 85 | 100 | 1% | 2,500 |
| Iran | 53 | 70 | 0.7% | 7,600 |
| United States | NA | NA | - | NA |
| All other countries | 501 | 355 | 3.5% | NA |
| World total (USGS, rounded) | 10,300 | 10,000 | 100% | 330,000 |
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Fluorspar. 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 fluorspar used for?
- Anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (HF): by far the leading use of acid-grade fluorspar; HF is the feedstock for virtually all fluorine-bearing chemicals, such as refrigerants and fluoropolymers
- Metals processing chemicals: chemicals used in the processing of primary aluminum and uranium
- Semiconductors and petrochemicals: HF is essential in cleaning and etching during semiconductor manufacturing and serves as a petrochemical catalyst
- Metallurgical-grade uses: flux in steelmaking and iron and steel casting, plus cement, enamels, glass and welding rod coatings
How much does fluorspar cost?
| Price | Unit | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acid grade, average unit value of imports (cost, insurance, freight) | dollars per metric ton | 322 | 387 | 428 | 464 | 470 |
| Metallurgical grade, average unit value of imports | dollars per metric ton | 151 | 206 | 338 | 336 | 400 |
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Fluorspar. The 2025 figures are USGS estimates. Prices are annual averages of the series named in each row, so they are not live quotes.
Metallurgical-grade fluorspar rose 19% in 2025 and has grown 28% a year since 2021, against 1% and 10% for acid grade, according to USGS Figures 10A and 10B.
Is fluorspar a critical mineral?
Fluorspar is on all four official critical minerals lists: the US, EU, Australian and Canadian. 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 |
| Australia | Critical minerals list |
| Canada | Critical |
Lists last checked against the primary publications on October 12, 2026. See the comparison of all four lists.
What are the substitutes for fluorspar?
USGS names substitutes for 2 applications of fluorspar, for example production of aluminum fluoride and HF: fluorosilicic acid (FSA). Full fluorspar substitutes page.
Can fluorspar be recycled?
Synthetic fluorspar may be made from waste neutralized in uranium enrichment, petroleum alkylation and stainless-steel pickling, but impurities limit its use. Primary aluminum producers recycle HF and fluorides from smelting.
What are the supply risks and recent events for fluorspar?
- 2025. Global fluorspar mine production fell an estimated 1% to 10 million tons. China's supply was constrained by rectification measures on mining, with some mines suspending production for safety inspections; China's imports rose 48% in the first half to 856,000 tons, 86% of them from Mongolia.
- August 2025. A fluorspar mine in Canada idled since 2022 restarted and made its first shipment of acid-grade fluorspar at the end of August, aiming to ramp up to 200,000 tons per year.
- September 2025. A mine in Xinjiang, China began operations with projected output of 300,000 tons per year of acid-grade fluorspar.
- 2025. A second US company continued building a fluorspar mine and processing plant in Utah, with completion anticipated by yearend. Other mines were in development or reopening in Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Mongolia and Mozambique.
US import sources, 2021 to 2024. Mexico, 64%; Vietnam, 12%; China, 10%; South Africa, 9%; and other, 5%. (USGS)
Resources. Large quantities of fluorine are present in phosphate rock. World phosphate rock reserves of 74 billion tons contain about 5 billion tons of 100% fluorspar equivalent, and US reserves of 1 billion tons contain about 72 million tons.
Which companies produce or process fluorspar?
| Company | Country | Role | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orbia | Mexico | Fluorspar and fluorine chemicals producer | Its September 2025 investor presentation calls its fluor business the largest global fluorspar provider for fluorine-based products, citing a 2024 S&P Global report as the single source, and estimates that 3.5 terawatt hours of lithium-ion battery capacity by 2030 would need 1.4 million tonnes of acidspar, more than 25% of current supply. Orbia: investor presentation (September 2025) |
| Ares Strategic Mining | United States (Lost Sheep, Utah) | Developer of a fluorspar mine and lumps plant (CSE: ARS; OTCQX: ARSMF) | Its Form F-10/A calls it a Utah-based fluorspar mining and processing company, puts the Lost Sheep property about 72 kilometres northwest of Delta, gives the lumps plant a designed capacity of about 150,000 tonnes a year, and says commissioning began on 13 July 2026 while sustained commercial processing and sales had not started. Ares Strategic Mining: Form F-10/A (2026) |
| Canada Fluorspar | Canada (St. Lawrence, Newfoundland) | Fluorspar miner, restarted in 2025 | The Newfoundland and Labrador government said on 13 June 2023 that Canada Fluorspar was sold for $25 million to Fluorspar Holdings, a subsidiary of AMED Funds, after the mine closed in February 2022. USGS reports, without naming the mine, that a Canadian fluorspar mine idled since 2022 restarted and made its first acid-grade shipment at the end of August 2025, aiming to ramp up to 200,000 tons a year. Government of Newfoundland and Labrador: sale of Canada Fluorspar (13 June 2023) USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Fluorspar |
Each row links to the document that supports it. The list is not exhaustive and is not a ranking.
Frequently asked questions
What is fluorspar used for?
Fluorspar is used in anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (HF), metals processing chemicals and semiconductors and petrochemicals. Anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (HF): by far the leading use of acid-grade fluorspar; HF is the feedstock for virtually all fluorine-bearing chemicals, such as refrigerants and fluoropolymers.
Which country produces the most fluorspar?
China produces the most fluorspar: an estimated 6,000 kt, or 59% of the world total, in 2025, according to the USGS mine production figures.
Is fluorspar a critical mineral?
Yes. Fluorspar is on all four official critical minerals lists: the US, EU, Australian and Canadian. Fluorspar was already on the 2022 US list and stays on the final 2025 list of 60 minerals. US net import reliance for fluorspar in 2025 was 100%.
How much does fluorspar cost?
USGS reports the average 2025 price of fluorspar at $470/t (acid grade, average unit value of imports (cost, insurance, freight); +1% on 2024).
Sources
Read on October 13, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Fluorspar. 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
- Orbia: investor presentation (September 2025)
- Ares Strategic Mining: Form F-10/A (2026)
- Government of Newfoundland and Labrador: sale of Canada Fluorspar (13 June 2023)
