Strontium: Characteristics
Dense mud, strong magnets and red fire
What this tab covers The supply and physical characteristics of the commodity. Supply: current production, inventories and stocks, capacity utilisation, geographic and producer concentration, how fast supply responds to price, the project pipeline and capital spending, and logistics and export flows. Material: the physical and chemical properties that set its grade, price and end uses (for example purity and conductivity for metals, API gravity, sulfur and energy content for fuels, moisture, protein and fibre quality for crops).Supply volume characteristics
| Characteristic | Figure | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current production volume | about 450,000 t celestite, gross weight (2025e), up from 400,000 t | Iran 250,000 t, Spain 100,000 t, China 80,000 t, Mexico 20,000 t and Argentina 700 t. World strontium carbonate output is not published. | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Inventory and stock levels | not published | Some of the 8,100 t of celestite the US imported in 2025 may have been stockpiled, but stock data are not available. There are no exchange or government stocks. | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Capacity utilisation | not published | Mine capacity is not reported. Carbonate conversion was the bottleneck in 2025: reduced Chinese output, an explosion at Iran's main port and a fire at a Mexican plant (about 40,000 t/yr carbonate) cut supply while celestite output rose. | USGS MCS 2026; Guidechem (2025) |
| Geographic and producer concentration | Iran about 56%, top 3 (Iran, Spain, China) about 95%, HHI about 3,900 (2025, derived) | In carbonate, Hebei Xinji Chemical holds about 29% of Chinese capacity (60,000 t/yr) and Kandelium runs the Mexican plant. Spain supplies 99% of EU celestite. | USGS MCS 2026 (derived); Guidechem (2025); EU CRM 2023 |
| Supply elasticity | moderate for celestite; low for carbonate | Celestite is mined for itself (companionality about 5%) in open pits and output can rise within a year, as in 2025 (+12.5%). Carbonate needs kilns and chemical plants, so supply lags. | Nassar et al. 2015; USGS MCS 2026 |
| Project pipeline and CapEx | no large named capacity | An Australian company bought a California strontium deposit in 2025 and planned drilling. US Defense Production Act funding (2024) targets domestic strontium nitrate, oxalate and peroxide production. | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Logistics and export flows | bulk celestite and bagged carbonate; US imports 8,100 t celestite and 4,200 t Sr in compounds (2025e) | Mexico supplied more than 99% of US celestite imports and Germany 51% of compounds (2021-24). Iranian exports move through Bandar Abbas, whose 2025 explosion disrupted supply; sanctions complicate payment. | USGS MCS 2026 |
Material characteristics Industrial mineral
Strontium reaches market as celestite (strontium sulfate) and as strontium carbonate made from it. Celestite is valued for density in drilling mud; carbonate for chemistry, as the base of strontium ferrite magnets and other salts. Strontium nitrate gives fireworks and flares their red. Grade, barium and calcium impurities, and particle size set the use.
| Property | Value / specification | Why it matters | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Celestite grade | SrSO4 43.88% Sr content; commercial concentrates typically 90% SrSO4 or more | Sets conversion yield to carbonate and price per tonne | USGS MCS 2026; industry practice (indicative) |
| Specific gravity | celestite about 3.96 versus barite 4.48; API 13A drilling barite needs at least 4.1-4.2 | Celestite can replace some barite in drilling mud when barite is expensive, at the cost of heavier loadings | CRC Handbook; API Specification 13A (indicative) |
| Strontium carbonate purity | about 97-98% SrCO3 min, with limits on Ba, Ca and sulfur | Ferrite magnet makers need low impurity for magnetic performance | Industry specifications (indicative) |
| Strontium ferrite magnetic properties | SrFe12O19; Curie temperature about 450 C | Barium ferrite is cheaper but has a lower maximum operating temperature | USGS MCS 2026; standard magnet data (indicative) |
| Flame colour | strontium nitrate gives brilliant red emission | No good substitute in fireworks and signal flares | USGS MCS 2026 |