Demonstration dataListings, lots and offers shown are samplesAbout sample data
Reference specimen · Photo by and (c)2015 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man), CC BY-SA 4.0
Tech & industrial metals
Sample dataFluorspar (fluorite, CaF2) is the raw material for hydrofluoric acid and therefore for the entire fluorochemical chain: refrigerants, fluoropolymers (PTFE), aluminium fluoride, and LiPF6 electrolyte and PVDF binder in lithium-ion batteries. The EU and US list it as critical, and China, the largest producer, has turned into a net importer. South Africa holds some of the world's largest resources, and Kenya's Kerio Valley operation is restarting.
Verified companies only
Volumes, origins and terms are shown to verified companies. Availability for everyone else: Contract / Pre-production. Verify your company or submit a request.
Acidspar
Unit: t · HS 2529.21
≥97% CaF2 (filter cake, low SiO2, S, As) — for HF production
Metspar
Unit: t · HS 2529.22
~80–90% CaF2 lumps/briquettes — steelmaking flux
Ceramic grade (~85–95% CaF2)
Unit: t
glass, ceramics, welding
ARAM sourcing assessment
Underrated critical mineral with ex-China demand from Western HF and battery-chemical producers. Listing status: Contract / Pre-production (Kenya).
South Africa
Vergenoeg (Sepfluor), Nokeng (Sepfluor), Zeerust/Wit Kop (ERG — among the world's largest resources), Witkop (historic)
Kenya
Kimwarer, Kerio Valley (Sofax Fluorspar — 25-yr licence 2025, plant refurbishment)
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — African rows of the world production & reserves table
World Mine Production and Reserves: Significant revisions were made to the 2024 production for Germany, Iran, South Africa 447 410 41,000 World total (rounded) 10,300 10,000 330,000
| Year | Country | HS | Value | Net weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | South Africa | 252922 | $104.8m | 224.1 kt |
| 2023 | South Africa | 252922 | $92.5m | 194.2 kt |
| 2024 | South Africa | 252921 | $10.8m | 48.7 kt |
| 2024 | Morocco | 252922 | $10.2m | 21.4 kt |
| 2023 | South Africa | 252921 | $9.4m | 30.3 kt |
| 2023 | Morocco | 252922 | $7.7m | 16.9 kt |
| 2023 | Morocco | 252921 | $1.4m | 8.2 kt |
| 2024 | Morocco | 252921 | $763k | 6.1 kt |
| 2024 | Namibia | 252921 | $129k | 216 t |
Mirror data fills gaps where exporters report late or incompletely.
| Year | Buyer | Origin | HS | Value | Net weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | India | South Africa | 252922 | $105.3m | 228.1 kt |
| 2023 | India | South Africa | 252922 | $81.9m | 160.4 kt |
| 2024 | USA | South Africa | 252922 | $23.5m | 47.4 kt |
| 2023 | USA | South Africa | 252922 | $23.4m | 51.7 kt |
| 2023 | Germany | South Africa | 252922 | $23.1m | 50.0 kt |
| 2023 | UAE | South Africa | 252922 | $17.7m | 33.2 kt |
| 2024 | Germany | South Africa | 252922 | $15.4m | 30.6 kt |
| 2023 | Germany | Kenya | 252922 | $7.9m | 13.0 kt |
| 2024 | Germany | Kenya | 252922 | $7.0m | 13.0 kt |
| 2024 | China | South Africa | 252921 | $4.8m | 20.5 kt |
| 2024 | India | South Africa | 252921 | $3.8m | 16.4 kt |
| 2023 | India | Morocco | 252922 | $1.9m | 3.4 kt |
Source: UN Comtrade (public data). Values in US$.
Minerals trade on formula prices: a published benchmark × metal content × payable percentage, less treatment charges and impurity penalties, settled on independent assay. Payment is typically by documentary letter of credit, with 90–95% provisional payment against shipping documents and the balance on final assay.
Request terms for FluorsparCross-border
Permit / licence
Standard mining and export permits
Primary source
Operator: Sofax Fluorspar Kenya
Acidspar plant refurbishment under a 25-year licence (2025).
Acidspar ≥97% CaF2 (feed for hydrofluoric acid → fluorochemicals, LiPF6 battery electrolyte); metspar ~80–90% CaF2 for steel/cement. Kenya: Sofax Fluorspar, Kimwarer/Kerio Valley, 25-yr licence (2025), plant refurbishment with Mizztech. South Africa: Vergenoeg (Sepfluor), Nokeng, Zeerust (ERG, among the world's largest resources). EU and US list fluorspar as critical.
Source 1 · sofax.co.keSource 2 · kenyachamber.or.keSource 3 · africanmining.co.zaSource 4 · ergafrica.comSource 5 · sepfluor.co.zaSource 6 · imformed.com
Research compiled September 2026 from USGS, UN Comtrade, producer and regulator publications. Facts marked “reported” come from secondary sources and should be confirmed before contracting.
On the ground · Fluorspar
The mines and districts that define supply, with their operators. They are shown for geographic context: third-party operations, not ARAM sites, and not the source of any particular lot. Ownership and status as publicly reported in 2026.
South Africa
No freely licensed photograph
South Africa
Operated by Sepfluor
One of the world's largest fluorspar deposits, in Gauteng's Bushveld Complex.
Photo by and (c)2015 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man), CC BY-SA 4.0
Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0
Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0
Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 3.0
Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0
Giovanni Dall'Orto, CC BY-SA 2.5 it
Photo by and (c)2015 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man), CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by and (c)2015 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man), CC BY-SA 4.0
Reference specimens of the ore minerals and products, from public collections. They illustrate the material, not a specific ARAM lot or source.
#04Battery minerals
Lithium is the defining battery metal. Africa went from almost nothing to one of the fastest-growing supply regions in 2023–25, led by Zimbabwe (Africa's #1, top-5 globally), then Mali (Goulamina, Bougouni), Nigeria and Namibia. African lithium is hard-rock (spodumene, petalite, lepidolite pegmatites), sold as mineral concentrate. Governments now force local processing: raw ore export bans are in place, and Zimbabwe is moving to ban concentrate in favour of lithium sulphate.
Bulk industrial
Phosphate rock is the source of phosphorus fertilisers, a food-security commodity, and increasingly of purified phosphoric acid for LFP batteries. Morocco (OCP) holds about 70% of the world's reserves and is the largest exporter of rock, acid and fertiliser. Egypt, Tunisia, Senegal, Togo, Algeria and South Africa also produce. The EU lists phosphate rock as a critical raw material.
#07Tech & industrial metals
Germanium is a minor metal used in fibre optics, infrared optics (night vision, thermal imaging for defence), satellite solar cells and semiconductors. China dominates supply and has restricted exports since August 2023, tightening further in 2024. The DRC's Big Hill tailings in Lubumbashi, historic slag and tailings from Gécamines' zinc-copper operations, are now one of the very few new non-Chinese sources: STL processes them and Umicore refines the concentrate in Belgium.
Tech & industrial metals
About 90% of vanadium is used to strengthen steel (ferrovanadium in rebar and high-strength low-alloy steel). The rest goes into titanium alloys for aerospace and into electrolyte for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB), which store grid-scale energy. South Africa's Bushveld titanomagnetite is one of the four big sources, with China, Russia and Brazil. Several South African plants have closed or cut output, so supply is concentrated.