Barite
A heavy barium sulfate mineral ground into drilling mud to keep oil and gas wells under control.
Industrial minerals · No. 58
- EU critical 2023
- US critical 2025
- HHI 1,360 · unconcentrated
More than 90% of US barite is ground to powder and poured down oil wells to hold back the pressure.
Chart: Illustration: Barite
Where it comes from
Chart: Map of where it comes from
Barite, barium sulphate, comes from bedded sedimentary deposits and veins, often with fluorite or lead-zinc. Most is dug from open pits, upgraded and ground to a fine powder.
Three things to know
- US barite sales rose in 2025 even as rig counts fell from 599 to 564, because wells are being drilled deeper.
- Only about 740 Mt of the world's roughly 2 billion t of barite resources have been identified.
- The EU imports 74% of its barite at the extraction stage and recycles 0% at end of life.
The journey
- 1 DepositBedded or vein barium sulphate
- 2 MiningOpen pits, then hand or jig sorting
- 3 GrindingCrushed to API specific gravity 4.1-4.2
- 4 ShippingBagged or bulk ground barite
- 5 End useWeighting drilling mud at the well