# Fluorspar: Criticality

Why the US and EU both list fluorspar

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/fluorspar/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** | High | 0.0% | 30.5% | 0.5% | −$157.6 m | Yes | Has had no significant mine output since 1995, was 100% net import reliant in 2025 (Mexico 64% of 2021-24 imports) and lists fluorspar as critical; a Utah mine was under construction (USGS 2026). |
| **EU** | High | 1.6% | 31.1% | 16.9% | −$98.2 m | Yes | Mines small amounts in Spain (140 kt) and Germany (35 kt), imports 60% at extraction, mainly from Mexico, and lists fluorspar as critical (EU CRM 2023; USGS 2026). |
| **India** | High | 0.0% | 27.0% | 0.2% | −$140.2 m | No | Imports nearly all its acid-grade fluorspar (27.0% of world import value in 2024) for a growing fluorochemicals sector; not on India's 2023 critical list. |
| **China** | Low | 67.7% | 2.6% | 22.4% | +$71.5 m | Yes | Produces 6,000 kt (about 60% of the world) and holds the largest reserves, but has become a big importer, buying 856 kt in H1 2025, 86% from Mongolia (USGS 2026). |
| **Japan** | High | 0.0% | 1.7% | 0.0% | −$8.72 m | Yes | Has no fluorspar mine output listed by USGS (2026) and relies on imports of fluorspar and fluorine chemicals. |
| **Latin America** | Low | 15.8% | 0.2% | 13.7% | +$50.8 m | no list | Mexico is the second-largest producer (1,500 kt in 2025, 68,000 kt reserves) and Brazil produces 100 kt (USGS 2026). |
| **Middle East** | Low | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.0% | −$561k | no list | Iran produced 70 kt in 2025 with 7,600 kt reserves (USGS 2026); Gulf Fluor in Abu Dhabi would need about 125 kt a year of imported acidspar at full capacity (Roskill 2015). |
| **Australia** | Low | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | −$43k | Yes | Has no current output listed by USGS but has fluorspar mines in development (USGS 2026). |

 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 2023 (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.

Fluorspar is on the EU and US 2025 critical lists, but not India's 2023 list. The EU rates its economic importance high, at 3.8, with 60% import reliance at extraction. The United States has been 100% net import reliant. Concentration in China is the core risk, made worse by China now buying abroad. Fluorosilicic acid from phosphate can replace fluorspar in HF and aluminium fluoride. Many materials can replace it as a flux, but nothing easily replaces fluorine itself.
 EU 2023 Critical US 2025 list Yes India 2023 list No Production HHI 4,884 highly concentrated

#### 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). Fluorspar: supply risk 1.1, economic importance 3.8. EU import reliance, extraction 60% EU recycling input rate 1% US net import reliance, 2025 100% share of apparent consumption

#### Substitutes

Fluorosilicic acid for AlF3 and HF; aluminium dross, borax, calcium chloride, iron oxides, manganese ore, silica sand and TiO2 as fluxes

## Other sections

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