# Manganese: Extraction

South Africa's giant deposits and the furnace that follows

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

South Africa's giant deposits and the furnace that follows 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.

Most manganese comes from large sedimentary deposits, above all in South Africa, which holds an estimated 70% of world resources (USGS). Gabon, Ghana, Australia and Brazil also mine it, mostly in open pits. Ore of 35-54% manganese is smelted in electric furnaces into ferromanganese or silicomanganese. Steelmakers add these to strip out oxygen and sulfur and to strengthen the steel. The practice dates to Mushet's 1856 patent, which added manganese-rich spiegel iron to Bessemer steel (Smil). Smaller volumes become electrolytic metal or sulfate for batteries.

Manganese ore is mined from large sedimentary beds, mostly by open pit and, in parts of South Africa and India, underground. Ore is upgraded by washing and screening and sold by manganese content, priced in dollars per dry metric tonne unit (1% Mn in one tonne). Most ore is then smelted near ports or power supplies into ferromanganese or silicomanganese for steel mills. A smaller route leaches ore into high-purity chemicals and electrolytic metal for batteries and special alloys. India does all of this: MOIL and others mine ore, while ferroalloy plants in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal smelt imported and local ore for export.

#### Methods compared

| Method | Share of supply | Typical scale | Recovery / efficiency | By-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Open-pit mining of sedimentary ore** | most of world output (no exact split published) | for scale of value: 44% ore at the 2025 average of $4.50/dmtu CIF China is worth about $198/t delivered (USGS, citing CRU) | n/a | iron (in ferruginous ores) | n/a |
| **Underground mining** | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| **Ferroalloy smelting (silicomanganese, ferromanganese)** | the route for most manganese used in steel | ferromanganese 74-95% Mn (USGS) | n/a | slag reused for silicomanganese | n/a |
| **Hydrometallurgical route to battery and chemical products** | small share of tonnage, concentrated in China | n/a | n/a | selenium-bearing residues (in some EMM processes) | n/a |

#### How each method works
**Open-pit mining of sedimentary ore**

Overburden is stripped and ore beds are drilled, blasted and loaded by truck and shovel. Ore is crushed, screened and washed into lump and fines. Used at most Kalahari, Gabon, Ghana and Australian mines.

Low cost and large scale; long rail and port chains and weather risk (an Australian mine shut by a cyclone in 2024).
 USGS MCS 2026, Manganese; no published unit cost found **Underground mining**

Deeper high-grade Kalahari ore (e.g. Nchwaning) and Indian vein and bedded deposits (MOIL's Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh) are mined by room-and-pillar or stoping. Grades are higher, costs per tonne too.

High-grade lump; higher cost and slower to expand.
 Company descriptions; no published share or cost found **Ferroalloy smelting (silicomanganese, ferromanganese)**

Ore, coke and quartzite are charged to submerged-arc furnaces. Silicomanganese also uses ferromanganese slag. Refined (medium- and low-carbon) ferromanganese is made by oxygen blowing or silicothermic reduction. Power is the key cost.

Adds value near ore or cheap power; energy-intensive and carbon-heavy.
 USGS MCS 2026, Manganese **Hydrometallurgical route to battery and chemical products**

Ore is roasted and leached with sulphuric acid, purified and electrolysed into electrolytic manganese metal or manganese dioxide, or crystallised as high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate for lithium-ion cathodes.

High value and battery-linked; acidic waste and China concentration.
 EU CRM study 2023, manganese end-use shares (EU) (batteries as a selected use) Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs vary widely by deposit, region and year.

#### Share produced as a by-product
 About 5% of primary supply comes as a by-product (Nassar, Graedel & Harper 2015, approximate).

#### Who does it: global

| Company | Country | Activity | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **South32 (BHP's manganese business until 2015)** | Australia | mining (Hotazel, South Africa; GEMCO, Australia) | 3.26 Mwmt manganese ore (South32 share; 60% of GEMCO, 54.6% of South Africa Manganese) | FY2025 (to Jun 2025) | [South32 FY25 production report, as reported by Mysteel (down 27% after Cyclone Megan hit GEMCO)](https://www.mysteel.net/news/5093072-south32s-share-of-mn-ore-output-falls-27-on-year-in-fy25) |
| **Eramet (Comilog)** | France | mining (Moanda, Gabon) and alloys | 7.1 Mt manganese ore produced (5.5 Mt transported) | 2025 | [Eramet 2025 operating results, as reported by Ecomatin (19 Feb 2026)](https://ecomatin.net/manganese-le-chiffre-daffaires-deramet-recule-de-10-malgre-une-hausse-de-la-production-au-gabon) |
| **Consolidated Minerals (Consmin)** | Australia | mining (Nsuta, Ghana) | 8.1% of world manganese ore output | 2013 | Tilton and Guzman (2016), Mineral Economics and Policy, Table 7.1 (2013 equivalent production) |
| **Vale** | Brazil | mining (Brazil) | 5.6% of world manganese ore output | 2013 | Tilton and Guzman (2016), Mineral Economics and Policy, Table 7.1 (2013 equivalent production) |
| **Assmang (African Rainbow Minerals / Assore)** | South Africa | mining (Nchwaning, Gloria) and alloys | not published | n/a | volume not found in published sources checked |

#### Who does it: India

| Company | Country | Activity | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **MOIL** | India | mining (state-owned; mines in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh) | 1.802 Mt manganese ore (record; sales 1.587 Mt; ferromanganese 12 kt) | FY2025 | [MOIL FY2024-25 results, as reported by Elets eGov (Apr 2025)](https://egov.eletsonline.com/2025/04/moil-breaks-all-previous-records-with-best-financial-year-in-fy25/) |
| **Sandur Manganese and Iron Ores** | India | mining (Karnataka) and ferroalloys | not published | n/a | volume not found in published sources checked |
| **Tata Steel** | India | captive manganese mining (Odisha) and ferroalloys | not published | n/a | volume not found in published sources checked |
| **Maithan Alloys** | India | ferroalloy smelting (ferromanganese, silicomanganese) and export | not published | n/a | volume not found in published sources checked |

India mined 790 kt of manganese content in 2025e, fifth in the world (USGS), led by MOIL, which produced a record 1.80 Mt of ore in FY2025. It still imported 6.05 Mt of ore worth $1.1 billion in 2024 and was the largest ferromanganese exporter, with 48.2% of world export value ($522 million, 559 kt) (UN Comtrade). Manganese is not on India's 2023 critical minerals list.

## Other sections

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