# Mica: Extraction

Why the best mica sheets are still trimmed by hand

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/mica/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.

Micas, chiefly muscovite and phlogopite, are layered silicates that split into thin, flexible sheets. Sheet mica comes from pegmatites and must be extracted and trimmed largely by hand, which makes US deposits subeconomic. Scrap and flake mica comes from schists, clays and granites, and as a by-product of feldspar, kaolin and industrial sand processing. It is wet or dry ground to fine particles. Biotite, a common dark mica, often carries trace copper, zinc and nickel in its crystal lattice (Tilton).

Mica comes in two very different forms. Sheet mica, the high-value form, must be mined and split largely by hand, which makes it cheap only where labour is cheap. Scrap and flake mica is mined mechanically from schists or recovered as a by-product, then ground. In India, most mica entering trade is scrap collected informally from abandoned workings in Jharkhand and Bihar. Synthetic mica and mica paper made from scrap have replaced much natural sheet.

#### Methods compared

| Method | Share of supply | Typical scale | Recovery / efficiency | By-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Hand mining and splitting of sheet mica from pegmatites** | India reported 1,000 t of sheet mica in 2025 and holds 110,000 t of sheet reserves; data for other major producers are unavailable (USGS) | India's crude mica output was 636 t in 2014-15, all from Andhra Pradesh (IBM) | n/a | Scrap mica from trimming | Not published; US splittings price $1.60-1.90/kg in 2021-25 (USGS) |
| **Informal scrap ('dhibra') collection from old workings (Jharkhand and Bihar)** | About 70% of India's mica comes from illegal mines (Refinery29, 2019); India held 31% of world mica export value in 2024 (UN Comtrade) | India exported 140,960 t in 2014-15 against recorded crude output of 636 t and scrap of 11,852 t (IBM) | n/a | n/a | Not published |
| **Mechanised flake mica mining and flotation, often as a by-product** | China 85,000 t, Madagascar 70,000 t, Finland 57,000 t and US 26,000 t of scrap and flake in 2025 (USGS) | US: eight companies made 59,000 t of ground mica in 2025 (USGS) | n/a | Mica is itself the by-product at many feldspar, kaolin and sand plants | Not published; US scrap and flake about $130/t, ground $320-350/t in 2025 (USGS) |
| **Synthetic fluorphlogopite mica** | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | Not published |

#### How each method works
**Hand mining and splitting of sheet mica from pegmatites**

Workers dig pegmatite pockets, extract mica 'books', then cob, trim and split them by hand into blocks and thin splittings sorted by size and clarity.

Only source of large natural sheet; uneconomic where labour is costly, as in the US (USGS).
 USGS MCS 2026; IBM Mica review 2015 **Informal scrap ('dhibra') collection from old workings (Jharkhand and Bihar)**

Villagers, including children, pick mica fragments from abandoned mines and dumps and sell them to local traders, who sort and sell to processors and exporters. Much of this activity is unregulated.

Cheap supply that sustains poor villages but carries child labour and fatal accident risks; an estimated 22,000 children worked in the trade (Refinery29, 2019).
 IBM Mica review 2015; SabrangIndia report of Refinery29 investigation (2019); UN Comtrade 2024 **Mechanised flake mica mining and flotation, often as a by-product**

Mica schist or feldspar, kaolin and sand plant tailings are processed by flotation and screening to recover flake mica, which is then wet- or dry-ground.

Traceable and mechanised; flake is lower value than sheet.
 USGS MCS 2026 **Synthetic fluorphlogopite mica**

A fluorine-rich mica is grown by melting raw materials and crystallising them, giving pure, consistent flakes for pigments and insulation.

No child-labour risk and consistent quality; higher cost than natural mica.
 USGS MCS 2026 (substitutes) Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs vary widely by deposit, region and year.

#### By-product supply

In the US much scrap mica is a by-product of feldspar, kaolin and industrial sand processing. By-product mica supply depends on the host product's output, not on mica prices (USGS 2026).

#### Who does it: global

| Company | Country | Activity | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Merck KGaA** Mica purchases not published | Germany | mica-based effect pigments; co-founder of the Responsible Mica Initiative | not published | 2025 | Company information |
| **Imerys** Volume not published | France | ground mica production | not published | 2025 | Company information |
| **Von Roll** Volume not published | Switzerland | mica paper and tapes for electrical insulation | not published | 2025 | Company information |
| **Isovolta** Volume not published | Austria | mica-based insulation products | not published | 2025 | Company information |

#### Who does it: India

India's mica trade is run by many small processors and exporters in Koderma and Giridih (Jharkhand), Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan; none publish volumes. Mica became a state-regulated minor mineral in February 2015, so IBM stopped reporting output. India exported mica worth Rs 556 crore in 2022-23 (down 16%) and was the top exporter by value in 2024 (31% of world exports), mostly to China (IBM; UN Comtrade). The Responsible Mica Initiative, with over 110 members, runs village programmes in Jharkhand, Bihar, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.

## Other sections

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