Fluorspar: Extraction
Where fluorite forms, and how ore becomes concentrate
What this tab covers How it is mined, drilled or grown, and processed into a tradeable form: the main methods compared, their unit economics, by-products, and the companies that do this work globally and in India.Fluorspar is the mineral fluorite, calcium fluoride. It forms in hydrothermal veins and replacement bodies, often with lead, zinc or barite. Ore is mined underground or in pits and upgraded by flotation. Acid grade contains more than 97% CaF2 and goes to hydrofluoric acid. Metallurgical grade is used as flux. Phosphate rock is a large alternative source. In 2025, three US phosphoric acid plants recovered fluorosilicic acid equal to about 73,000 t of pure fluorspar.
Fluorspar is the mineral fluorite, calcium fluoride. Mines produce two products: acid grade for chemicals, which needs fine grinding and flotation to exceed 97% CaF2, and metallurgical grade for steel, often coarse lumps from gravity separation. China dominates both. A growing alternative source of fluorine is fluorosilicic acid recovered from phosphate fertiliser plants, since phosphate rock contains about 3.5% fluorine.
Methods compared
| Method | Share of supply | Typical scale | Recovery / efficiency | By-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Underground or open-pit mining + flotation to acid grade | acid grade 65.5% of world consumption in 2016 (Clarke and Huxtable 2017) | new flotation plants of 200-300 kt a year, e.g. Nui Phao (Vietnam) 220 kt, Nokeng (South Africa) 210 kt, St Lawrence (Canada) 200 kt (Clarke and Huxtable 2017; USGS 2026) | n/a | Lead, zinc and barite at some mines; Nui Phao also produces tungsten | n/a |
| Gravity separation and hand-sorting to metallurgical grade | metallurgical grade 34.5% of world consumption in 2016 (Clarke and Huxtable 2017) | China imported 1.02 Mt of metspar in Jan-Oct 2024 (Fastmarkets 2025) | n/a | n/a | US import unit value of metallurgical grade $400/t c.i.f. in 2025 (price, not cost; USGS) |
| Fluorosilicic acid (FSA) from phosphate rock processing | US recovered about 45 kt FSA in 2025, equal to about 73 kt of 100% fluorspar (USGS 2026) | world phosphate reserves of 74 billion t contain about 5 billion t of fluorspar equivalent (USGS) | n/a | It is itself a by-product of phosphoric acid | n/a |
| Synthetic and recycled fluorides | small; no world figure | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
How each method works
Underground or open-pit mining + flotation to acid gradeOre is mined, crushed and ground, then fluorite is floated away from quartz, calcite and sulphides in several cleaning stages to over 97% CaF2. The filter cake is dried and shipped to HF plants. Mexico's San Luis Potosi mine, run by Orbia (Koura), is described as the world's largest.
Highest-value grade; needs consistent ore, water and tailings management.
Clarke and Huxtable 2017; Mining.com 2012 interview; USGS MCS 2026 Gravity separation and hand-sorting to metallurgical gradeCoarser, higher-grade ore is crushed and upgraded by heavy-media or jig separation, or sorted by hand at small mines, to make lumps and gravels of 60-97% CaF2 for steel and cement. Mongolia and parts of China supply much of this.
Simple, low-capital processing; lower prices and exposure to steel cycles.
USGS MCS 2026; Fastmarkets, Jan 2025 Fluorosilicic acid (FSA) from phosphate rock processingWhen phosphate rock is digested to make phosphoric acid, fluorine escapes as silicon tetrafluoride and is scrubbed into fluorosilicic acid. FSA can be converted to HF or aluminium fluoride, or used to fluoridate water.
Uses a waste stream and large resource; impurities and limited conversion capacity.
USGS MCS 2026 Synthetic and recycled fluoridesFluoride wastes from uranium enrichment, petroleum alkylation and stainless-steel pickling can be neutralised into synthetic fluorspar, and aluminium smelters recycle HF and fluorides. The US DOE sells aqueous HF from depleted UF6 conversion.
Reduces waste and imports; impurities limit use (USGS).
USGS MCS 2026 Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs vary widely by deposit, region and year.By-product supply
Fluorspar is mainly a primary product, but fluorosilicic acid from phosphate plants is a growing by-product source of fluorine: about 73 kt fluorspar equivalent in the US in 2025, and a world resource of about 5 billion t in phosphate rock (USGS 2026).
Who does it: global
| Company | Country | Activity | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orbia (Koura fluor business) Company volume not published in sources reviewed. | Mexico | mining (San Luis Potosi) and HF and fluorochemicals | not published | 2025 | Mining.com 2012 interview (world's largest fluorspar mine); Mexico output 1,500 kt in 2025 (USGS) |
| Chinese fluorspar miners (e.g. Huayou Mining, Xinjiang) National output; company volumes not published. | China | mining; a 1.2 Mt/yr ore mining and 4,000 t/day flotation project in Kashgar | 6,000 kt (China national output) | 2025 | USGS MCS 2026; Fastmarkets, Jan 2025 |
| China Kings Resources Target, not output. | China / Mongolia | mining in Mongolia | not published | target | Fastmarkets, Jan 2025: targets 200-300 kt/yr of metspar and acidspar within two years |
| Mongolian producers National output; company volumes not published. | Mongolia | mining, mainly metspar exports to China | 1,500 kt (Mongolia national output) | 2025 | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Masan (Nui Phao) Capacity, not output. | Vietnam | acidspar as co-product of tungsten mining | 220 kt/yr acidspar capacity | 2014 start | Clarke and Huxtable 2017; Vietnam output 160 kt in 2025 (USGS) |
| SepFluor (Nokeng) Capacity, not output. | South Africa | acidspar mine | 210 kt/yr capacity | 2019 start planned | Clarke and Huxtable 2017; South Africa output 410 kt in 2025 (USGS) |
| Canada Fluorspar (St Lawrence, Newfoundland) Target rate, not output. | Canada | acidspar mine restarted in 2025 | 200 kt/yr target | 2025 restart | USGS MCS 2026 (first shipment end-August 2025, ramping to 200 kt/yr); Clarke and Huxtable 2017 |
| Minersa Volume not published in sources reviewed. | Spain / South Africa | mining and processing | not published | 2025 | Clarke and Huxtable 2017; Spain output 140 kt in 2025 (USGS) |
Who does it: India
| Company | Country | Activity | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian fluorochemical makers (SRF, Navin Fluorine, Gujarat Fluorochemicals) Fluorspar purchase volumes not published. | India | HF, refrigerants, fluoropolymers, specialty fluorochemicals from imported acidspar | not published | 2025 | India took 27.0% of world acid-grade fluorspar import value in 2024 (UN Comtrade) |
India has no significant fluorspar output listed by USGS (2026) and is the second-largest importer of acid-grade fluorspar (27.0% of world import value in 2024), feeding HF and fluorochemical plants, mainly in Gujarat. Fluorspar is not on India's 2023 critical minerals list.