# Feldspar: Criticality

Why a common mineral is critical for Europe

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/feldspar/criticality/

What this tab covers How exposed economies are to a supply disruption: the EU, US and India listings, the concentration score, and a quantified exposure for the US, EU, India, China, Japan, Latin America, the Middle East and Australia. Where the EU scored it, a chart of supply risk against economic importance, with import reliance, recycling input and substitutes.

#### Exposure by region

| Region | Exposure | Share of world output | Share of world imports | Share of world exports | Net trade (US$) | On own critical list | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **US** | Medium | 1.2% | 2.8% | 0.2% | −$11.6 m | No | Produced 440,000 t in 2025 and imported feldspar (93% from Turkey) and nepheline syenite (99% from Canada); net import reliance for feldspar was 18% (USGS 2026). |
| **EU** | High | 11.4% | 63.0% | 15.6% | −$197.8 m | Yes | Listed feldspar as a critical raw material in 2023, with 54% import reliance, 51% of supply from Turkey, 1% recycling and domestic output in Italy, Spain, France and Czechia (EU CRM 2023). |
| **India** | Low | 16.5% | 0.0% | 10.4% | +$65.4 m | No | Largest producer by USGS estimate (6.0 Mt in 2025) and a net exporter with 10.4% of world export value in 2024; not on India's 2023 critical list (USGS; UN Comtrade). |
| **China** | Low | 10.2% | 5.4% | 4.0% | −$123k | No | Produced about 3.7 Mt in 2025 with the largest reserves (730 Mt) and imported 5.4% of world value in 2024 (USGS; UN Comtrade). |
| **Japan** | High | 0.0% | 1.0% | 0.1% | −$4.30 m | No | Not among the leading producers or importers listed by USGS or UN Comtrade for 2024. |
| **Latin America** | Low | 3.8% | 1.9% | 1.7% | +$2.02 m | no list | Brazil produced about 620,000 t of beneficiated feldspar in 2025 (USGS); Mexico supplied 5% of US feldspar imports (2021-24). |
| **Middle East** | Medium | 12.9% | 3.8% | 0.5% | −$14.5 m | no list | Iran (3.9 Mt) and Saudi Arabia (650,000 t) are producers, and Turkey, the leading exporter, borders the region (USGS 2026). |
| **Australia** | Low | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | +$0 | No | Not among the producers listed by USGS for 2025. |

 Exposure rating: **High** when the region is a net importer whose import share is at least three times its share of world output (or, for farm goods, it produces under 70% of what it consumes); **Medium** for other net importers (or 70-95% self-sufficiency), raised to High when world supply is highly concentrated in another country; **Low** for net exporters or self-sufficient regions. Net importer status uses tonnage where reported, otherwise value. Output: World Mining Data, 2024. Trade: UN Comtrade 2024 (EU = sum of member states, including intra-EU trade). Critical lists: US 2025, EU 2024/1252, India 2023, China 2016 strategic minerals, Japan METI, Australia 2024.

Feldspar is on the EU 2023 critical list. Its supply risk score is 1.5, economic importance 3.2, and import reliance 54%. The concern is dependence on concentrated imports for Europe's large ceramics and glass industries, not geological scarcity. Feldspar is not on the US 2025 or India 2023 lists, and US import reliance is only 18%. Substitutes include nepheline syenite, clays, furnace slag, pyrophyllite, spodumene and talc. Global production is unconcentrated, with an HHI of 1,220.
 EU 2023 Critical US 2025 list No India 2023 list No Production HHI 1,220 unconcentrated

#### EU 2023 assessment

Chart: EU 2023 criticality: supply risk against economic importance
 Each dot is a material assessed by the EU in 2023. The shaded corner is the critical zone (supply risk ≥ 1.0, economic importance ≥ 2.8). Feldspar: supply risk 1.5, economic importance 3.2. EU import reliance, extraction 54% EU recycling input rate 1% US net import reliance, 2025 18% share of apparent consumption

#### Substitutes

Imported nepheline syenite; also clays, electric furnace slag, feldspar-silica mixtures, pyrophyllite, spodumene or talc

## Other sections

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