Feldspar: Trading
How alkali content, iron and grind set the price
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. Feldspar is sold under contracts by grade: alkali content, iron oxide and particle size set the price. Glass makers buy coarser sodium feldspar, while ceramic producers want fine, low-iron grades. Freight dominates delivered cost, so most trade is regional. Turkish sodium feldspar from the Aegean region is the standard export product for Mediterranean tile makers. Price reporters such as Fastmarkets publish indicative ranges rather than firm benchmarks.
Where it is bought (buyers)
- Tile and sanitaryware makers in Italy (Sassuolo), Spain (Castellon), India (Morbi) and China
- Glass container, float and fibreglass plants worldwide
- Italy took 28% and Spain 19% of world feldspar import value in 2024 (UN Comtrade)
Where it is sold (sellers)
- Turkey (41% of world export value in 2024), South Africa (15%), India (10%), Thailand and Morocco (UN Comtrade)
- Nepheline syenite from Canada into the US
Exchanges and benchmarks
| Venue | Contract | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| None | No exchange-traded contract | Prices are set in bilateral deals |
Contract types
- Annual supply contracts with chemistry limits (Na2O, K2O, Fe2O3, TiO2)
- Bulk vessel sales FOB Turkish ports
- Local truck sales from Rajasthan and Gujarat mills to Morbi
Top trading houses
- Mostly direct producer sales; specialist ceramic raw material distributors in Italy and Spain
How prices are discovered
- USGS US unit values and nepheline syenite import values
- Fastmarkets Industrial Minerals price assessments (paid)