Kaolin & clays: Trading
Brightness, particle size and viscosity on contract
What this tab covers How and where it is bought and sold: who buys and sells, exchanges and benchmarks, contract types, the big trading houses and how prices are discovered.There is no exchange. Kaolin is sold by grade, with brightness, particle size and viscosity in the specification, often under multi-year contracts with paper, paint and ceramic makers. A few multinational processors dominate coating grades. Bentonite is sold by application, such as drilling mud, foundry binding, cat litter or iron-ore pelletising. Trade publications such as Fastmarkets report prices as ranges. Freight and drying costs decide how far each grade can travel.
Where it is bought (buyers)
- Paper and paint makers in Asia and Europe buy coating kaolin from Georgia, Brazil and the UK
- Tile and sanitaryware clusters (Morbi, Foshan, Castellon, Sassuolo) buy ball clay and kaolin, often from local or regional pits
- Pet litter packers and drilling contractors buy bentonite; Canada, Japan and Mexico were leading US bentonite destinations in 2025 (USGS)
Where it is sold (sellers)
- US kaolin to Mexico, Japan and China (USGS 2025)
- Indian bentonite from Gujarat to 70+ countries (Ashapura)
- Turkish and Greek bentonite (USGS producer table)
Exchanges and benchmarks
| Venue | Contract | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| None | No exchange-traded contract | All trade is bilateral by grade |
Contract types
- Annual supply contracts by brightness, particle size and viscosity (kaolin)
- Bulk and bagged bentonite sales by swelling index and API specification for drilling
- Local truck sales to tile clusters
Top trading houses
- Mostly producer direct sales; regional distributors serve ceramic clusters
How prices are discovered
- USGS ex-works unit values by clay type
- Fastmarkets Industrial Minerals kaolin and bentonite prices (paid)