# Silica sand: Extraction

What makes sand pure enough for clear glass

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/industrial_sand/extraction/

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.

Industrial sand is quartz-rich sand or crushed sandstone with very high silica and little iron. Conway notes silica sands exceed 95% silica, and only the purest 'silver sands' make the clearest glass. Most is dug from open pits, then washed, scrubbed, sized and dried. Frac sand needs round, strong grains. A specialist offshoot is high-purity quartz, mined from Spruce Pine pegmatites in North Carolina alongside feldspar and mica. It is refined physically, chemically and thermally to 99.99% purity or better for crucibles used to grow silicon ingots.

Industrial sand is mined like construction sand but processed to a specification. Frac sand needs round, strong grains in narrow mesh sizes. Glass sand needs high silica and low iron. High-purity quartz is a different product: it comes from hard pegmatite rock, not loose sand, and is crushed, sorted and chemically and thermally purified. Freight is a large share of delivered cost, so mines near the user win, as the Permian in-basin shift showed after 2018.

#### Methods compared

| Method | Share of supply | Typical scale | Recovery / efficiency | By-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Northern White frac sand (Wisconsin, Minnesota) shipped by rail** | Wisconsin-area miners held about 75% of the frac sand market in 2014, forecast to fall to 34% by 2020 (Rystad via World Oil, 2019) | About 45 Mt/yr of Northern White capacity left the market by early 2020 (Rystad via WPR, 2020) | n/a | Fine sand sold for fillers or foundries | Mine-gate price forecast at about $25/t in 2019, down 29% (Rystad via World Oil, 2019); rail and transload fees to Texas of $50-60/t (Rystad via WPR, 2020) |
| **In-basin frac sand (Permian, Texas and Oklahoma), increasingly sold wet** | About 85% adoption in the Permian Basin by early 2020 (Rystad via WPR, 2020); Texas led US production in 2025 (USGS) | Atlas Energy Solutions moved 21.6 Mt of total volume in 2025, 5.9 Mt of it on its Dune Express conveyor | n/a | n/a | Indicative: West Texas sand price about $30/t in 2019 (Rystad via World Oil); Atlas product revenue of $105.2 million on 5.3 Mt in Q4 2025 implies about $20/t (indicative, basis: revenue divided by volume) |
| **Glass and foundry sand (washed, classified and often iron-reduced)** | Glass took 7% of US tonnage in 2025 (USGS); usually the main use outside the US | n/a | n/a | Feldspar, heavy minerals and clay fines at some plants | Not published; US average value of all industrial sand was $36/t in 2025 (USGS), and glass grades sell above that |
| **High-purity quartz from pegmatite (Spruce Pine)** | The US is the leading HPQ producer; other sources are Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India and Russia (USGS 2026) | About 100,000 t sold or used in the US in 2025 (USGS, rounded) | n/a | Feldspar and mica | Price range $500-12,000/t in 2025, down from $500-20,000/t in 2023 (USGS) |

#### How each method works
**Northern White frac sand (Wisconsin, Minnesota) shipped by rail**

Mature, well-rounded quartz sand from the Upper Midwest is mined in open pits, washed, dried and screened, then railed to distant shale basins. It was the premium proppant because of its crush strength and roundness.

Best quality, but freight makes it uncompetitive in the Permian; many mines idled after 2019.
 World Oil (Feb 2019); Wisconsin Public Radio (Jan 2020) **In-basin frac sand (Permian, Texas and Oklahoma), increasingly sold wet**

Local dune sand is mined next to the wells, washed and screened, and either dried or delivered undried. Lower grain strength is accepted because delivered cost is much lower. Texas and Oklahoma are now among the top four US producing states.

Cheapest delivered proppant; quality is lower and prices fall fast when rigs drop.
 World Oil (2019); WPR (2020); Atlas Energy Solutions Q4 and full-year 2025 results **Glass and foundry sand (washed, classified and often iron-reduced)**

High-silica sand deposits are mined, washed, attrition-scrubbed, sized and, for clear glass, cleaned by magnetic separation, flotation or leaching. Product is shipped in bulk to float, container and fibreglass furnaces and to foundries.

Stable demand tied to construction and packaging; quality deposits near markets are limited by zoning (USGS).
 USGS MCS 2026 **High-purity quartz from pegmatite (Spruce Pine)**

Pegmatite is mined together with feldspar and mica, crushed, washed, sorted, magnetically separated and chemically and thermally treated. One of the two Spruce Pine producers ships stone to Norway for final processing (Conway 2023; USGS 2026).

Near-monopoly product with high margins, but concentrated in one valley that Hurricane Helene shut in 2024.
 USGS MCS 2026, Quartz; Conway, Material World (2023); Sibelco 2025 results Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs vary widely by deposit, region and year.

#### Who does it: global

| Company | Country | Activity | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Atlas Energy Solutions** | US | Permian in-basin frac sand mining and conveyor logistics | 21.6 Mt total volumes | 2025 | [Atlas Energy Solutions Q4 and full-year 2025 results](https://ir.atlas.energy/news-events/press-releases/detail/65/atlas-energy-solutions-announces-fourth-quarter-and-year) |
| **Sibelco** Volumes not published; 2025 revenue flat and EBITDA down 3%, with softer HPQ sales | Belgium | industrial silica, high-purity quartz (Spruce Pine) and glass recycling | not published | 2025 | [Sibelco 2025 results release](https://www.sibelco.com/en/news/sibelco-delivers-a-resilient-2025-financial-performance) |
| **The Quartz Corp** Volume not published | US/Norway | high-purity quartz mining at Spruce Pine, processing in Norway | not published | 2023 | Conway, Material World (2023) |
| **U.S. Silica** Not published since the company went private in 2024 | US | frac, glass and industrial sand; owns EP Minerals | not published | 2025 | Company is privately held |
| **Covia** Volume not published | US | industrial and frac sand | not published | 2025 | [Privately held; idled Wisconsin mines in 2019 (WPR 2020)](https://wpr.org/analyst-predicts-more-lean-times-wisconsin-frac-sand-producers) |

#### Who does it: India

| Company | Country | Activity | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Asahi India Glass** Sand intake not published | India | float and automotive glass (silica sand consumer) | not published | FY2025 | Company reports |
| **AGI Greenpac** Sand intake not published | India | container glass (silica sand consumer) | not published | FY2025 | Company reports |

India mined about 12 Mt of industrial sand in 2025 (USGS), fifth in the world, from many small quarries. Silica sand and quartz have been 'minor minerals' regulated by the states since February 2015, so national output data are no longer collected by IBM. India exported quartz and quartzite worth Rs 922 crore in 2022-23 (IBM).

## Other sections

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