Perlite: Criticality

Plentiful and replaceable, so not critical

What this tab covers How exposed economies are to a supply disruption: the EU, US and India listings, the concentration score, and a quantified exposure for the US, EU, India, China, Japan, Latin America, the Middle East and Australia. Where the EU scored it, a chart of supply risk against economic importance, with import reliance, recycling input and substitutes.

Exposure by region

Region	Exposure	Share of world output	Share of world imports	Share of world exports	Net trade (US$)	On own critical list	Position
US	Medium	14.3%	21.2%	3.6%	−$41.9 m	No	Fourth-largest producer (460 kt in 2025), with 23% net import reliance, almost all from Greece (USGS 2026).
EU	Medium	22.4%	32.3%	29.0%	−$15.0 m	No	Greece (840 kt), Hungary and Slovakia produce, and Greece is a leading exporter; perlite is not critical in the EU and has a 42% recycling input rate (USGS 2026; EU CRM 2023).
India	High	0.0%	5.0%	0.3%	−$11.0 m	No	No listed production; an importer with 5% of world perlite and vermiculite import value in 2024; not on India's 2023 critical list (USGS; UN Comtrade).
China	Low	30.0%	3.2%	11.3%	+$16.2 m	No	Largest producer (1.5 Mt in 2025) with 32 Mt of reserves, consuming most output domestically (USGS 2026).
Japan	High	0.0%	3.2%	0.2%	−$7.13 m	No	Not among the producers listed by USGS for 2025.
Latin America	High	0.5%	2.6%	5.6%	+$5.64 m	no list	Argentina (30 kt) and Mexico (30 kt) are small producers (USGS 2026).
Middle East	Medium	2.1%	4.6%	0.0%	−$10.5 m	no list	Turkey (1.4 Mt) and Iran (70 kt, 15 Mt reserves) produce; Armenia and Georgia also mine small amounts (USGS 2026).
Australia	High	0.1%	2.7%	0.5%	−$5.32 m	No	Not listed; New Zealand produced about 20 kt in 2025 (USGS).

Exposure rating: High when the region is a net importer whose import share is at least three times its share of world output (or, for farm goods, it produces under 70% of what it consumes); Medium for other net importers (or 70-95% self-sufficiency), raised to High when world supply is highly concentrated in another country; Low for net exporters or self-sufficient regions. Net importer status uses tonnage where reported, otherwise value. Output: World Mining Data, 2024. Trade: UN Comtrade 2024 (EU = sum of member states, including intra-EU trade). Critical lists: US 2025, EU 2024/1252, India 2023, China 2016 strategic minerals, Japan METI, Australia 2024.

Perlite is not critical. The EU scores supply risk at 0.8 and economic importance at 2.5, with no import reliance. It is absent from the US 2025 and India 2023 lists. Supply is moderately concentrated, but deposits are widespread and substitutes are easy. Diatomite, expanded clay and shale, pumice and slag can replace it in construction. Coco coir, pumice, vermiculite and wood pulp serve as soil additives. The real exposure is freight: the US relies on Greek ore for about a quarter of its consumption.

EU 2023 Not critical US 2025 list No India 2023 list No Production HHI 2,254 moderately concentrated

EU 2023 assessment

Chart: EU 2023 criticality: supply risk against economic importance

Each dot is a material assessed by the EU in 2023. The shaded corner is the critical zone (supply risk ≥ 1.0, economic importance ≥ 2.8). Perlite: supply risk 0.8, economic importance 2.5. EU import reliance, extraction 0% EU recycling input rate 42% US net import reliance, 2025 23% share of apparent consumption

Substitutes

Diatomite, expanded clay and shale, pumice and slag in construction; coco coir, pumice, vermiculite and wood pulp in horticulture