# Manganese: Stocks

Ninety years of reserves, unevenly spread

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

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 Mn content | Current output kt Mn content (mine, 2025e) | Years of supply | Recycling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **South Africa** | 550,000 | 7,600 | 72 | n/a |
| **Gabon** | 61,000 | 5,000 | 12 | n/a |
| **Ghana** | 13,000 | 2,000 | 7 | n/a |
| **Australia** | 580,000 | 1,600 | 363 | n/a |
| **Brazil** | 300,000 | 800 | 375 | n/a |

 USGS MCS 2026, Manganese (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

Manganese is recycled only incidentally inside steel scrap and recovered with iron from slag; scrap recovery for manganese itself is negligible (USGS MCS 2026). The EU end-of-life recycling input rate is 9% (EU CRM 2023). No world, India, Japan or China rate was found. India holds 34,000 kt of reserves against 790 kt output (43 years). Australia's JORC-compliant reserves are 110,000 kt, far below 580,000 kt shown. The US stockpile listed 292 kt of metallurgical ore for potential disposal in FY2025.

USGS reserves are 1.8 billion tonnes of contained manganese, about 90 years of 2025 output. Australia (580 million tonnes) and South Africa (550 million) lead, though only 110 million of Australia's are JORC-compliant. Land-based resources are large but unevenly spread. Recycling is incidental: manganese returns inside steel scrap and is recovered with iron from slag, but scrap recovery for manganese itself is negligible. The EU end-of-life recycling input rate is 9%. The US stockpile listed 292,000 tonnes of metallurgical ore for potential disposal in FY2025.

#### Reserves
 World reserves 1,800,000 thousand metric tons, Mn content Reserve life 90 years at 2025 production Australia 32% South Africa 31% Brazil 17% China 14% Gabon 3% 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: 9% of demand met from post-consumer scrap (EU CRM study 2023).

Manganese is recycled only incidentally in ferrous and nonferrous scrap and recovered with iron from steel slag; scrap recovery specifically for manganese is negligible.

## 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)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/manganese/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/manganese/production/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)