Silicon (Industrial)
Used in steelmaking, aluminum alloys, semiconductors, solar panels, and silicones. China produces the vast majority of global industrial silicon.
Where Silicon (Industrial) sits among tracked minerals
Share of global output from the #1 producing country, across all 20 minerals PlainCountries tracks
87.4% 1st of 20 the highest of 20 tracked minerals
Top-producer share of global output, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more tracked minerals. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2024 · 2023 data year
Global Production Overview
Nearby Industrial Minerals by leader share
Next read: Molybdenum · All minerals
Why Silicon (Industrial) supply looks concentrated
Silicon (Industrial) sits in the high-concentration tercile of this 20-mineral desk, per the concentration figures above. Silicon (Industrial) is an industrial-mineral row: buyers in import-dependent countries still watch supplier concentration even when the commodity rarely headlines. Used in steelmaking, aluminum alloys, semiconductors, solar panels, and silicones. China produces the vast majority of global industrial silicon. Global mine production in 2023 was about 8.7 Mt (thousand metric tons). 6 countries appear in the table below.
USGS does not publish a single net-import-reliance percentage for Silicon (Industrial) in this release; use the country production table and the linked country profiles for exposure context. Top-five share is 105% (China, Russia, United States, Norway, Brazil). On a high-concentration mineral, an outage or export curb in the leader moves availability faster than on a diffuse desk.
Next comparable industrial mineral on this desk by leader-share distance: Molybdenum (~52% leader share). Cite USGS MCS 2024 (data year 2023) when you reuse any figure, we do not impute missing rows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country produces the most Silicon (Industrial)?
China is the world's leading producer of Silicon (Industrial), accounting for approximately 87% of global mine production in 2023.
How is Silicon (Industrial) used?
Used in steelmaking, aluminum alloys, semiconductors, solar panels, and silicones. China produces the vast majority of global industrial silicon.
What is global Silicon (Industrial) production?
Global mine production of Silicon (Industrial) was approximately 8.7 Mt in 2023, measured in thousand metric tons.
How reliant is the US on imported Silicon (Industrial)?
US import reliance data for Silicon (Industrial) is not published as a single percentage in this release. Refer to the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries for current estimates.
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2024 (U.S. Geological Survey, National Minerals Information Center). Source: USGS National Minerals Information Center, data year 2023. Values are USGS estimates and may include revisions. US import reliance data from USGS.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.