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Zinc

US critical

A bluish-white metal used mainly to galvanize steel against corrosion, and in die-casting alloys, brass and zinc oxide. Zinc ores and residues are also the main source of germanium and indium and a source of gallium and cadmium, which links zinc refining to several critical technology metals.

Supply risk

Reviewed 3 Oct 2026 · Methodology

Low

Diverse mine supply and a near-balanced refined market

No driver is above moderate: China mines about a third of world zinc and no export controls apply to zinc itself, while the ILZSG reported a refined surplus of 120,000 t in the first half of 2026. Mine outages and lower smelter output outside China (operational disruption, moderate) are worth watching.

Since 1 Jan 2023 · Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, International Lead and Zinc Study Group

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Risk drivers

Supply concentrationLow
China mined about 4.1 million t of the world's 13 million t of zinc in 2025 (about 32%), followed by Peru and Australia. China is also the main source of growth in refined zinc output, which rose 5.9% there in the first half of 2026.Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, International Lead and Zinc Study Group
Export controlsLow
No export controls apply to zinc concentrate or refined zinc. China's licensing of germanium, gallium and indium, which are recovered from zinc processing, covers those by-products and not zinc metal.
Policy & tariffsModerate
Zinc is on the 2025 US List of Critical Minerals. On 14 Jan 2026 the US closed its Section 232 review of processed critical minerals without a tariff and opened negotiations with trading partners, leaving further measures possible.Sources: Federal Register, Covington & Burling
Operational disruptionModerate
World zinc mine output fell 2.6% in the first half of 2026, mainly on lower output at Antamina, Garpenberg and Red Dog and the closure of Lady Loretta at end-2025. Refined output outside China fell 3.4%, with reductions in Europe, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico and Peru.Source: International Lead and Zinc Study Group
Demand shockLow
The ILZSG forecasts refined zinc demand growth of 1.3% in 2026 and a deficit of only 19,000 t; provisional data show a 120,000 t surplus in the first half of 2026. Demand is tied mainly to galvanized steel for construction and vehicles.Sources: International Lead and Zinc Study Group, International Lead and Zinc Study Group

A supply-availability rating, not a price forecast or investment view. Export-control information is factual and is not legal advice.

Trade flows

2024 · HS 790111, 790112

Unwrought zinc, not alloyed

Recorded world imports: 3.9 Mt · $11.3B

Top exporters

  1. Spain12%460,067 t · $1.33B
  2. Canada10%384,834 t · $1.19B
  3. Australia7%290,909 t · $825M
  4. Finland7%288,671 t · $833M
  5. South Korea7%279,684 t · $800M
  6. Belgium6%229,102 t · $613M
  7. Peru6%227,138 t · $667M
  8. India6%220,532 t · $620M
  9. Mexico5%190,963 t · $530M
  10. Kazakhstan5%185,384 t · $517M

Top importers

  1. United States15%589,982 t · $1.76B
  2. China11%445,719 t · $1.26B
  3. Netherlands8%309,518 t · $846M
  4. Türkiye7%288,547 t · $826M
  5. Germany7%280,321 t · $793M
  6. Singapore5%207,681 t · $536M
  7. India5%178,291 t · $499M
  8. Taiwan (Other Asia, nes)4%161,043 t · $462M
  9. Thailand3%127,748 t · $360M
  10. Italy3%109,774 t · $334M

Largest routes

  1. Canada→United States368,722 t · $1.14B
  2. Kazakhstan→China146,295 t · $413M
  3. Australia→China130,503 t · $375M
  4. Finland→Germany120,951 t · $351M
  5. Finland→Netherlands106,295 t · $297M

Source: UN Comtrade, imports reported by 118 countries for 2024. Exporters are ranked by what importing countries recorded (mirror data), so countries that do not report their own exports are still counted. Values are in US dollars including freight and insurance. Weights are product weight. Recent years can be incomplete, and unrecorded trade is not included.

Overview

Zinc is a silvery-white metal with a blue tinge. Most zinc is used to galvanize iron and steel against rust, for products from car bodies to street lamp posts and bridges. Large amounts also go into die-castings, into such as brass, and into zinc for rubber, paints and many other products.1

Zinc is on the 2025 US List of .2 Its wider strategic importance comes from what is recovered alongside it. Zinc and processing residues are a source of germanium, indium, gallium and cadmium. Germanium, indium and gallium are themselves on the US critical minerals list.23456

Where it comes from

World was an estimated 13 million t of zinc in 2025, with China producing nearly a third. Identified zinc are about 1.9 billion t.7 The International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG) puts 2025 mine output at 12.50 million t, metal production at 13.79 million t and refined usage at 13.81 million t.8

Mine production by country2025 (est.) · world 13,000,000 t
  • China32%
  • Peru12%
  • Australia8%
  • India7%
  • Mexico6%
  • United States5%
  • Other countries27%

Zinc content of concentrates and direct-shipping ores. Country figures sum to 12,540,000 t; USGS rounds the world total to 13 million t. Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Zinc

For 2026 the ILZSG forecasts refined zinc usage of 14.00 million t and output of 13.99 million t, a small deficit.9 Preliminary ILZSG data show a refined zinc surplus of about 120,000 t in the first half of 2026.8

US mine production fell by about 12% in 2025, mainly because of lower ore grades at the Red Dog Mine in Alaska as it nears the end of its life. The Middle Tennessee zinc mines have been suspended since November 2023. During the closure, drilling has aimed to define further zinc, germanium and gallium resources.7

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By-product metals

Several critical metals depend on zinc processing:

  • Germanium resources are associated with certain zinc and lead-zinc-copper sulfide ores.3
  • Indium is most commonly recovered from sphalerite, the main zinc ore mineral.4
  • Gallium comes mostly from bauxite processing; the remainder is produced from zinc-processing residues.5
  • Cadmium is generally recovered from zinc ores and .6

What it is used for

Galvanized steel is the leading use of refined zinc in the United States, mainly in the automotive and construction markets. Brass and bronze, zinc-base alloys and other uses follow.7 Zinc oxide is used in paints, rubber, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, plastics, inks and batteries, and zinc sulfide in luminous paints and x-ray screens.1

Grades and forms

Zinc is traded as concentrate, as refined metal in grades defined by purity, as alloys and as oxide. US headings distinguish zinc containing at least 99.99% zinc from lower grades and casting-grade metal.7

Zinc concentrate

Sphalerite (zinc sulfide) concentrate from zinc and lead-zinc mines, sold to smelters; may carry germanium, indium, gallium and cadmium.

Special High Grade (SHG) zinc

≥ 99.995% Zn

The main refined grade, used for galvanizing and alloys.

Zinc alloys

Zinc-aluminum die-casting alloys used in automotive, electrical and hardware parts.

Zinc oxide

Used in rubber, paints, ceramics, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals.

Secondary zinc materials

Galvanizing residues and crude zinc oxide recovered from electric arc furnace dust.

Trade and policy

The United States relied on imports for 73% of its refined zinc in 2025. Canada supplied 57% of refined zinc imports in 2021–24, Mexico 15% and Peru 8%. The United States is a net exporter of zinc concentrate, and its main concentrate sources are Peru, Canada and Turkey.7

Several zinc are subject to Chinese :

DateEvent
Aug 2023China requires export licenses for gallium and germanium.53
3 Dec 2024MOFCOM Announcement No. 46 bans exports to US military users, and says licenses for gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard materials to the United States will in principle not be granted.10
Feb 2025China adds indium to its export controls.4
9 Nov 2025MOFCOM Announcement No. 72 suspends the US-specific gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard materials provisions of Announcement No. 46 until 27 November 2026. The ban on US military users stays in force.11

This section is factual background, not legal or trade-compliance advice.

Recycling and substitution

US refined zinc is partly recovered from secondary materials, including galvanizing residues and crude zinc oxide from dust, at both primary and secondary .7

Aluminum and plastics can replace galvanized sheet in cars. Aluminum alloys, cadmium, paint and plastic coatings can replace zinc coatings elsewhere, and aluminum- and magnesium-base alloys compete with zinc die-casting alloys.7

Sources

  1. Zinc: element information, properties and uses. Royal Society of Chemistry, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩ ↩2

  2. Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals. Federal Register, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩ ↩2

  3. Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Germanium. U.S. Geological Survey, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Indium. U.S. Geological Survey, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Gallium. U.S. Geological Survey, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Cadmium. U.S. Geological Survey, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩ ↩2

  7. Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Zinc. U.S. Geological Survey, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  8. ILZSG press release, August 2026. International Lead and Zinc Study Group, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩ ↩2

  9. ILZSG Spring 2026 meetings and forecasts. International Lead and Zinc Study Group, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩

  10. MOFCOM Announcement No. 46 of 2024 on strengthening export controls on related dual-use items to the United States. Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩

  11. MOFCOM Announcement No. 72 of 2025 on adjusting the implementation of Announcement No. 46 of 2024. Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩

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