# Thorium

A mildly radioactive by-product of rare-earth monazite, little used today but long promoted as a future nuclear fuel.

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

Tech & minor metals · No. 54

- Not on a critical list
 Tech & minor metals · Foundation · Matter

India banned monazite sand exports in 1946 to keep its thorium, the radioactive metal long promoted as a future nuclear fuel.

Chart: Illustration: Thorium

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Most thorium sits in monazite from heavy-mineral beach and river sands. Monazite is separated from ilmenite, rutile and zircon, then cracked for rare earths; only a little of its thorium is used.

##### Three things to know

1. Thorium oxide has one of the highest melting points of any oxide, which once made it useful in lamp mantles and welding electrodes.
2. Thorium-232 is fertile: in a reactor it converts to fissile uranium-233, which is why it is promoted as a nuclear fuel.
3. The United States imported thorium compounds worth only about $118,000 in 2025, based on data through July.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Mineral sands**Heavy-mineral beach and river sands
2. 2 **Monazite**Rare-earth and thorium phosphate concentrate
3. 3 **Cracking**Chemically split to recover rare earths
4. 4 **Thorium residue**Mostly stored, a little refined
5. 5 **Products**Oxide, nitrate and alloys
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## Other sections

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