Zirconium: Overview
Ceramic tiles, foundry sand and nuclear reactors
What this tab covers What the commodity is used for, why, in what volumes and with what alternatives, and its chain from mine or field to end user. Also the latest price moves, top recent news, three things to know, and buttons into each tab.Key uses
| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceramics: opacifier in tile glazes, sanitaryware and frits | 50% | about 600 kt of zircon a yearbasis | Finely milled zircon is white, stable in glaze firing and has a high refractive index, so a few percent makes glazes opaque and bright white. Chinese, Spanish, Indian and Italian tile makers use it in large volumes, which ties zircon demand to housing and property construction. EU CRM study 2023; Iluka (2017); USGS MCS 2026 | Tin oxide (older, costlier opacifier) Lower-zircon glaze formulations and other opacifiers in cheaper tiles |
| Foundry sands and investment-casting shells | 13% | about 155 kt of zircon a yearbasis | Zircon sand has low thermal expansion and high melting point and does not react with molten metal, so it gives precise castings and a clean surface in steel and superalloy foundries. EU CRM study 2023; USGS MCS 2026 | Chromite sand Olivine sand Silica sand (lower-precision castings) |
| Refractories for glass furnaces, steel ladles and nozzles | 13% | about 155 kt of zircon a yearbasis | Fused alumina-zirconia-silica blocks resist corrosion by molten glass, which is why they line glass-melting tanks. Zircon and zirconia also go into continuous-casting nozzles in steelmaking. EU CRM study 2023; USGS MCS 2026 | Dolomite refractories Spinel refractories Alumina and magnesia refractories |
| Zirconium chemicals and zirconia (catalysts, fuel cells, dental crowns, sensors) | 11% | about 130 kt of zircon a yearbasis | Zircon is converted to zirconium oxychloride and then to zirconia and other chemicals. Stabilised zirconia is tough and conducts oxygen ions, so it is used in car oxygen sensors, solid-oxide fuel cells, dental crowns and catalyst supports. China dominates this chemical chain. EU CRM study 2023 | Alumina and ceria (catalyst supports) Lithium disilicate glass-ceramics (dental) |
| Pigments (zircon-based ceramic stains) | 3% | about 36 kt of zircon a yearbasis | Zircon is the host lattice for stable ceramic colours such as vanadium blue, praseodymium yellow and iron coral, which survive high firing temperatures. EU CRM study 2023 | Spinel and other inorganic ceramic pigments |
| Zirconium metal: nuclear fuel cladding, superalloys and chemical-plant equipment | 3% | about 36 kt of zircon a yearbasis | Hafnium-free zirconium barely absorbs neutrons and resists hot water corrosion, so Zircaloy tubes hold uranium fuel in almost all water-cooled reactors. Zirconium also resists acids in chemical plants. EU CRM study 2023; USGS MCS 2026 | Niobium, stainless steel and tantalum (some nuclear uses, USGS) Titanium and synthetic materials (chemical plant, USGS) |
From mine to user
- 1. Mineral sands mining Zircon is mined with ilmenite and rutile from heavy-mineral sands in Australia, South Africa, Mozambique, Senegal and elsewhere (USGS 2026).
- 2. Concentration and dry separation Zircon is non-magnetic and non-conductive, so it is split from rutile and ilmenite by magnetic and electrostatic separators, then cleaned to premium or standard grade.
- 3. Sale of zircon sand Iluka sold 157 kt in 2025 at an average $1,643/t FOB; premium zircon CIF China averaged $1,800/t (Iluka; USGS).
- 4. Milling Millers in China, Spain and India grind sand to flour and micronised powder for ceramic glazes and frits.
- 5. Chemicals and zirconia Zircon is fused with caustic soda and dissolved to zirconium oxychloride, then converted to zirconia, carbonates and other chemicals, mainly in China.
- 6. Metal Zircon is chlorinated to zirconium tetrachloride; for nuclear grade, hafnium is separated out; then Kroll reduction with magnesium gives sponge (ex-works China $22/kg in 2025, USGS), made into Zircaloy tubes.
- 7. End users Tile and sanitaryware plants, foundries, glass furnaces, chemical makers and nuclear fuel fabricators.
Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25
No public daily or monthly benchmark price for this commodity in the datasets used.
World production 1.23 m tonnes, 2024 Largest producer Australia 25.22% of worldThree things to know
- About 95% of zirconium supply is produced as a companion of titanium mineral sands.
- China took 62.5% of world zirconium ore and concentrate imports by value in 2024.
- Australia holds 55 Mt of the world's more than 70 Mt ZrO2 reserves.
Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days
- NITR researchers develop low cost material from jackfruit peelThe Times of India · 2026-10-14
- NIT-Rourkela team uses peel of jackfruit to remove groundwater fluorideThe New Indian Express · 2026-10-15
- Osmond receives maximum Spanish gov grant to develop EU's first rare earths mineMining Weekly · 2026-10-05
- Caspian Sunrise shines a light on titanium, zirconium, and goldMining.com.au · 2026-10-16
- Osmond receives maximum Spanish grant for Orión ProjectMining.com.au · 2026-10-05