# Bromine: Overview

Flame retardants and drilling brines: bromine's main jobs

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/overview/

Flame retardants and drilling brines: bromine's main jobs What this tab covers What the commodity is used for, why, in what volumes and with what alternatives, and its chain from mine or field to end user. Also the latest price moves, top recent news, three things to know, and buttons into each tab.

#### Key uses

| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) for electronics, cables, insulation foam and textiles** | n/a | n/a basis | Bromine compounds interrupt the chemistry of combustion in the gas phase, so small loadings make plastics in circuit boards, TV casings and building foam meet fire codes. Tetrabromobisphenol A is a widely used example. Several older BFRs have been banned or restricted, which shifts but does not end demand. USGS MCS 2026 | Aluminium hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide (USGS) Phosphorus and organic chlorine flame retardants (USGS) Inherently flame-resistant materials |
| **Clear brine drilling and completion fluids (calcium, zinc and sodium bromide)** | n/a | n/a basis | Dense, solids-free bromide brines control pressure in deep oil and gas wells without plugging the reservoir. There are no comparable substitutes in some well-completion and packer applications (USGS). US exports went mainly to Guyana and Saudi Arabia in 2025, both drilling hubs. USGS MCS 2026 | Formate brines (caesium, potassium) in some wells Chloride brines for lower densities |
| **Chemical intermediates for pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, dyes and PTA catalysts** | n/a | n/a basis | Bromine is a reactive but controllable halogen, so it is used to build drug and pesticide molecules and as a promoter in purified terephthalic acid plants that make polyester. Hydrogen bromide from these reactions is often recycled into bromine (USGS). USGS MCS 2026 | Chlorine and iodine in a few reactions (USGS) |
| **Water treatment and biocides (pools, cooling towers, spas)** | n/a | n/a basis | Bromine biocides stay effective at higher pH and temperatures than chlorine, which suits cooling towers and hot tubs. USGS MCS 2026 | Chlorine and iodine for sanitation (USGS) |
| **Energy storage and emissions control (zinc-bromine flow batteries, mercury capture in coal plants)** | n/a | n/a basis | Zinc-bromine batteries store power in bromide electrolyte that can be fully recovered and reused at end of life (USGS). Calcium bromide added to coal helps capture mercury in power-plant flue gas. USGS MCS 2026 | Lithium-ion and vanadium flow batteries Activated carbon for mercury capture |
| **Fumigants (methyl bromide) and other uses** | n/a | n/a basis | Methyl bromide kills pests in soil, grain stores and shipping containers but depletes ozone, so it survives mainly in quarantine and pre-shipment treatment. USGS MCS 2026 (tariff list) | Phosphine and sulfuryl fluoride fumigants Heat treatment |

 No public end-use shares were found. USGS (2026) names flame retardants and clear brine drilling fluids as the leading global applications, followed by industrial uses, intermediates and water treatment.

#### From mine to user

1. **1. Resource** Seawater holds about 65 ppm bromine (about 100 trillion t); the Dead Sea about 1 billion t; deep brines in Arkansas and Shandong (USGS).
2. **2. Brine supply** End brines from Dead Sea potash ponds, pumped underground brines, or bitterns left after solar salt in Gujarat and elsewhere.
3. **3. Oxidation and stripping** Chlorine oxidises bromide to bromine, which is stripped with steam or air, condensed and purified.
4. **4. Conversion to compounds** Most bromine is converted on site to BFRs, clear brines, HBr and intermediates; elemental bromine is toxic and moves in special lined containers.
5. **5. Trade** Israel (45.3%) and Jordan (17.2%) led elemental bromine export value in 2024; China took 61.1% of imports (Comtrade).
6. **6. End users** Plastics and electronics makers, oilfield service firms, pharma and agrochemical companies, water treatment.
7. **7. Recycling** HBr from organic reactions and zinc-bromine battery electrolyte can be recycled; bromine in plastics recycles with the polymer (USGS).

#### Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25

No public daily or monthly benchmark price for this commodity in the datasets used.

#### Three things to know

- Seawater contains about 65 ppm bromine, roughly 100 trillion tons in total (USGS).
- Israel produced about 200,000 t of bromine in 2025, nearly half of reported world output (USGS).
- Dow Chemical, founded in 1897, began by extracting bromine from Michigan brines more cheaply than German rivals (Scheyder).

#### Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days

- [Clear Street upgrades TETRA Technologies stock rating on bromine project outlook](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi2AFBVV95cUxQenR5VDdJTUVJdnFuTzhGQUNjVkltWDVoaGx1ZXNobmdwRzVLSndzR0hrVFh4c1JnVUFCRi1wSjNudjVZOUZLUG9JZkhLckFTblpVRllicjZ3Tm52UTVheW9wOTUzcFV3TU93cW1XM3dVVjhSakN1YTdwM1J1bzJzaUJoUDI3RXEtM0FwWHJpTnhRdzEyZ1o3TWltcFcxcTZ3bW9HeF9TVkR1RDVOQXhYQ3E2VWp2czFuSUpxTXFLZVJHYjczdXlLZGhBNzlfVmZmdXJNSThka2Q?oc=5)Investing.com India · 2026-10-06
- [Gulf Resources regains Nasdaq listing compliance By Investing.com](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirgFBVV95cUxQU1N0dUpSc1UweFFfVzA4Q2tZMVBIRURNbnZYYWZMY1B4TUdicVA2WU9JOG5WQy05aUVfYjY0LUVwVEFzYnpPeXVad3lSMlU3MTlQaGRVSzBGaEtPbElyZDhqSVlnWjlxM2FRTXdBb0t0dnBsSjVicEVjZHVjR0laaFNPb3BaLXBndzFYdjV2aXFhNWVUTE8wbWN6emM2elpKeW9kdldlT1ZrcHRjU0E?oc=5)Investing.com India · 2026-10-06
- [Gulf Resources Regains Nasdaq Compliance and Listing Status](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi3AFBVV95cUxNQ2M0VENNWDZQNkRVb01ycVJ5NkNFRXVlaFhMaUpEbThwS3Izb0NGWFlZZnB1UmQxOGloNmtxRUt5cTRETzExWk5FOG1WMXVDY204RHpkSjRlUm5KOGhraHl6N0lITHJPbERKYnpWMXk3b1NYejYzMW1iY1hkQXgzREd2cWRNNGVPWm01WUxhTDQ3d28tb2tZTG00SnBWX0tNMmdTdTl2eG85TFZmeXhvRWY5V3YtYnBtbDFEaWlabGk1SkdBLVdwMGt6aE9wRGxOckVPX3M5QlN3VjRO?oc=5)The Globe and Mail · 2026-10-07

#### Chemicals made from it
[FR Flame retardants](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/)

#### Read the tabs
[Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/extraction/)[Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/production/)[Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/stocks/)[Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/cycles/)[Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/trading/)[Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/movement/)[Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/criticality/)[Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/characteristics/)[Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/emissions/)

## Other sections

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