Graphite: Stocks

Nearly two centuries of reserves: scarcity is not the issue

What this tab covers How much is left and how much is held. For minerals and energy: reserves, current output, years of supply and recycling for the top five countries. For farm commodities: production, ending stocks and stocks-to-use for the top five producers (USDA, October 2026). It also covers inventories and stockpiles.

Top five countries: reserves, output and years of supply

Country	Reserves kt graphite	Current output kt graphite (mine, 2025e)	Years of supply	Recycling
China	100,000	1,400	71	n/a
Madagascar	27,000	80	338	n/a
Tanzania	18,000	75	240	n/a
Brazil	74,000	65	1138	n/a
Mozambique	25,000	60	417	n/a

USGS MCS 2026, Graphite (natural) (world mine production and reserves table). Years of supply = reserves ÷ current output; reserves grow as prices and technology change, so this is not a countdown.

Recycling

Graphite recycling is minimal. USGS reports that refractory brick and linings are increasingly recycled into brake linings and insulation, but no quantity is available, and the abundance of graphite discourages recycling. The EU end-of-life recycling input rate for natural graphite is 3% (EU CRM 2023). Synthetic electrode and machining scrap is reused in batteries and steelmaking (USGS). No country figures were found. India mined 17,000 t in 2025 with 8.6 Mt of reserves (about 506 years).

USGS puts world reserves at 310 million tons, about 172 years of 2025 output, led by China (100 million tons) and Brazil (74 million). Resources outside the US exceed 800 million tons of recoverable graphite, so scarcity is not the issue. Recycling is limited. Some refractory brick is recycled into brake linings and insulation, but USGS notes that abundant graphite discourages recovery, and the EU's end-of-life recycling input rate is 3%. Battery anode recycling is still small. The US holds no government stockpile.

Reserves

World reserves 310,000,000 metric tons Reserve life 172 years at 2025 production China 32% Brazil 24% Madagascar 9% Mozambique 8% Tanzania 6% Largest reserve holders, share of world reserves (USGS MCS 2026). Reserves are what is economic to extract today, not what exists.

Recycling

End-of-life recycling input rate in the EU: 3% of demand met from post-consumer scrap (EU CRM study 2023).

Refractory materials are increasingly recycled into products such as brake linings and thermal insulation, but abundant graphite inhibits wider recycling.