# Boron

Borate salts from a few desert deposits make heat-resistant glass, fibreglass, fertiliser and magnets, and Turkey holds most reserves.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/

Industrial minerals · No. 56

- EU strategic
- EU critical 2023
- US critical 2025
- HHI 2,804 · highly concentrated
 Industrial minerals · Foundation · Matter

Heat-resistant borosilicate glass owes its toughness to boron, and Turkey holds about 87% of the reserves countries report.

Chart: Illustration: Boron

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Boron never occurs as an element. It is mined as borates, which form where volcanoes meet dry climates: California's Mojave, Turkey's Alpide belt and the Andes.

##### Three things to know

1. Ceramics, detergents, fertilisers and glass take more than three-quarters of world boron, which is priced on its boric oxide content.
2. Serbia's Jadar lithium-boron project, an EU strategic project, was planned to make 286,000 t of boric acid a year.
3. The US added boron to its 2025 critical list after public comment, even though it is a net exporter that mined about 25% of 2024 output.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Borate deposit**Arid volcanic basins or brines
2. 2 **Open pit**Tincal, kernite, colemanite, ulexite dug out
3. 3 **Refining**Borax and boric acid, priced on B2O3
4. 4 **Blends**Glass, ceramic frits, fertiliser, detergents
5. 5 **End uses**Insulation, cookware, vials, crops
 Covered in [What makes something a commodityCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/what-is-a-commodity/)[Criticality and geopoliticsCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/criticality-and-geopolitics/)

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/links/index.md)