# Kyanite: Cycles

Five straight years of rising prices, tied to steel

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/kyanite/cycles/

What this tab covers Price history and what drives booms and busts, including this commodity's super-cycles, the drivers behind them and the metrics to track. It charts monthly prices (World Bank) with a switch to inflation-adjusted annual prices; where there is no World Bank series it uses USGS US prices.

The US average export unit value rose every year, from $369 per tonne in 2021 to an estimated $510 in 2025. That is a gain of about 38%, during years of tight andalusite supply. Demand is a derivative of steel. Iron and steel take 60-70% of refractory use, and refractory consumption moves with furnace output. Global crude steel production fell 1.7% in the first eight months of 2025, while US output rose 1.6%. When andalusite runs short, buyers switch to refractory bauxite or synthetic mullite, and the reverse happens when bauxite is scarce.

#### US price, US average unit value of kyanite exports (f.a.s.)
 2021 369 2022 382 2023 428 2024 460 2025 510 dollars per metric ton. USGS MCS 2026; 2025 is an estimate.

#### Super-cycles in kyanite

These minerals have no exchange price and no long published price series, so there is no measurable super-cycle. Demand is a derivative of steel output, and refractory use per tonne of steel tends to fall as linings last longer. The recent story is a supply squeeze. South African andalusite has been disrupted for years, Indian beach-sand bans cut sillimanite, and the US kyanite export unit value rose every year from 2021 to 2025. Buyers respond by switching between andalusite, refractory bauxite and synthetic mullite.

1. 2013-2022

Indian beach-sand mining bans (Tamil Nadu 2013, private sector 2019) and reclassification of mines cut Indian sillimanite supply.

Indian sillimanite output 13,221 t (2019-20) to 3,432 t (2021-22); mine-head value about Rs 2,320/t (2021-22, IBM, derived).

2. 2019-2025

South African andalusite output fell amid electricity cuts, flooding, labour disputes and shipping problems, and global andalusite stayed tight.

South African output 190,000 t (2019, IBM) to 160,000 t (2022, Virginia Energy) to 120,000 t (2025, USGS).

3. 2021-2025

With andalusite short, demand moved to Virginia kyanite and mullite; prices climbed even as global steel output softened in 2025.

US kyanite export unit value $369/t (2021), $382 (2022), $428 (2023), $460 (2024), $510 (2025e), up 38% (USGS).

#### What drives the cycle

- **Crude steel output.** Iron and steel take 60-70% of refractory use; world steel fell 1.7% in January-August 2025 (USGS).
- **South African andalusite supply.** South Africa is the largest producer, so power, flooding, labour and port problems move the market.
- **Refractory bauxite and synthetic mullite availability.** Users substitute in both directions when one material is short (USGS).
- **India's beach-sand policy.** Bans and reclassification decide how much Indian sillimanite reaches the market.
- **Refractory recycling and lining life.** Longer-lasting linings and recycled refractories reduce virgin mineral demand.

#### Metrics to track

| Metric | Why it matters | Where to track it |
|---|---|---|
| **Monthly crude steel production** | Main demand driver | World Steel Association, monthly |
| **US kyanite export unit value (HTS 2508.50)** | Only public price series | USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries; US Census Bureau trade data |
| **South African andalusite exports** | Largest supply source | USGS MCS commentary; South African mineral statistics (Department of Mineral Resources and Energy) |
| **Indian kyanite, sillimanite and andalusite trade** | India's import dependence | Indian Bureau of Mines, Indian Minerals Yearbook; DGCIS |
| **Refractory industry results** | Demand and pricing commentary | Imerys and refractory-maker quarterly reports; IMFORMED conference reports |

## Other sections

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