# Talc: Criticality

Why regulation, not scarcity, is the real risk

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/talc/criticality/

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 | 6.1% | 11.1% | 11.5% | +$4.94 m | No | Mined 490,000 t in 2025 in Montana, Texas and Vermont, with 23% net import reliance, mainly on Pakistan, Canada and China (USGS 2026). |
| **EU** | Low | 12.3% | 42.2% | 44.5% | +$24.9 m | No | Produces in France, Finland and Italy, is the largest importing bloc (Germany 12% of world value), and does not list talc as critical; the EU recycling input rate is 16% (USGS; UN Comtrade 2024; EU CRM 2023). |
| **India** | Low | 20.2% | 0.9% | 6.1% | +$49.8 m | No | Largest world producer (1.5 Mt in 2025, 110 Mt reserves) and a net exporter; not on India's 2023 critical list (USGS 2026). |
| **China** | Low | 18.8% | 3.5% | 15.6% | +$115.4 m | No | Second-largest producer (1.3 Mt) and the largest exporter by value in 2024 (USGS 2026; UN Comtrade). |
| **Japan** | High | 1.9% | 9.2% | 1.0% | −$77.3 m | No | Produces about 130,000 t (including pyrophyllite) and imports 9% of world value (USGS 2026; UN Comtrade 2024). |
| **Latin America** | Medium | 11.0% | 7.6% | 1.6% | −$57.3 m | no list | Brazil produced 570,000 t in 2025 and Mexico took 5% of world import value in 2024 (USGS; UN Comtrade). |
| **Middle East** | Medium | 4.3% | 1.7% | 0.0% | −$15.8 m | no list | Not among the producers listed by USGS for 2025; neighbouring Afghanistan and Pakistan supply much of the world's cheap talc. |
| **Australia** | Low | 1.0% | 0.5% | 0.9% | +$4.34 m | No | Not listed separately by USGS for 2025. |

 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.

Talc is not critical for the EU, with supply risk 0.2 and economic importance 3.3, and is not on the US or Indian lists. Supply is diverse and substitutes are plentiful: kaolin, mica, calcium carbonate, wollastonite and bentonite fill many of its roles. The main risk is regulatory. In July 2025 the EU risk assessment committee recommended classifying talc as a Category 1B carcinogen. The US FDA has proposed stricter asbestos testing for talc cosmetics. Classification could shift demand toward substitutes.
 EU 2023 Not critical US 2025 list No India 2023 list No Production HHI 1,021 unconcentrated

#### 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). Talc: supply risk 0.2, economic importance 3.3. EU import reliance, extraction 7% EU recycling input rate 16% US net import reliance, 2025 23% share of apparent consumption

#### Substitutes

Kaolin, mica, chlorite, feldspar, bentonite, pyrophyllite, calcium carbonate and wollastonite, depending on use

## Other sections

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