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ARAMAromatics & Minerals
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File:Pezzottaïte, amazonite, zircon 1.jpeg

Reference specimen · Géry PARENT, CC BY-SA 3.0

Tech & industrial metals

Sample data

Zircon Zr

Zircon (ZrSiO4) is the co-product of titanium mineral sands. It is mainly used in ceramic tiles and sanitaryware as an opacifier, and also in foundry sands, refractories, zirconium chemicals, and zirconium metal for nuclear fuel cladding. African mineral-sands operations are major zircon suppliers. Senegal's Grande Côte is the world's #4 producer.

Availability
Contract
African sources
South Africa · Mozambique · Senegal · Kenya
Traded as
Premium zircon · Standard/intermediate zircon · Zircon concentrate
HS codes
2615.10

Current offers

Verified companies only

Volumes, origins and terms are shown to verified companies. Availability for everyone else: Contract. Verify your company or submit a request.

What is traded

  • Premium zircon

    Unit: t · HS 2615.10

    ZrO2+HfO2 ≥66% (often ≥66.5%), TiO2 ≤0.15%, Fe2O3 ≤0.05%, low U+Th (ceramic grade)

  • Standard/intermediate zircon

    Unit: t

    ZrO2 ≥65–66% with higher Fe/Ti

  • Zircon concentrate (lower grade, for further processing)

    Unit: t

  • Milled zircon flour/opacifier; zirconium oxychloride and zirconia

    Unit: t

    downstream

Uses

  • Ceramic tiles and sanitaryware opacifier (~50%)
  • Foundry sand and refractories
  • Zirconium chemicals and fused zirconia
  • Nuclear-grade zirconium (hafnium removed)

ARAM sourcing assessment

Good co-product line alongside titanium minerals. Listing status: Contract.

On the ground · Zircon

The mines behind the supply.

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.

Mozambique

No freely licensed photograph

Producing mine

Mozambique

Moma

Operated by Kenmare Resources

A dredge-mined heavy-mineral-sands operation on the Nampula coast producing ilmenite, zircon and rutile.

South Africa

No freely licensed photograph

Producing mine and smelter

South Africa

Richards Bay Minerals

Operated by Rio Tinto

Dune mining and smelting on the KwaZulu-Natal coast producing titanium slag, zircon and rutile.

Senegal

No freely licensed photograph

Producing mine

Senegal

Grande Côte

Operated by Eramet

A mobile dredge mine on Senegal's Atlantic coast north of Dakar — the world's fourth-largest zircon producer.

Reference specimens

  • Géry PARENT, CC BY-SA 3.0

  • Robert M. Lavinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0

Reference specimens of the ore minerals and products, from public collections. They illustrate the material, not a specific ARAM lot or source.

Related minerals

File:Ilmenite-173863.jpg

Tech & industrial metals

Titanium Minerals (Ilmenite, Rutile) Ti

Titanium minerals come from heavy-mineral beach and dune sands. Ilmenite and rutile feed titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigment, the white in paint, plastics and paper, which takes about 90% of demand. They also feed titanium metal for aerospace and medical uses, and welding-rod coatings. Africa is a major producer: Mozambique (Moma), South Africa (Richards Bay), Senegal (Grande Côte), Kenya (Kwale), Madagascar (QMM) and Sierra Leone, home of Sierra Rutile, one of the world's largest natural rutile deposits.

Supply
Contract
Assay
Independent — required
Origin
Verified per offer
Request supply
File:Polycrystalline-germanium.jpg#07

Tech & industrial metals

Germanium Ge

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.

Supply
Contract (limited) + Pipeline
Assay
Independent — required
Origin
Verified per offer
Request supply
File:Vanadinite Mibladen MNHN Minéralogie.jpg

Tech & industrial metals

Vanadium V

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.

Supply
Contract / Spot
Assay
Independent — required
Origin
Verified per offer
Request supply
File:Chromite (GeoDIL number - 1396).jpg

Tech & industrial metals

Chrome (Chromite) Cr

Chromite ore is smelted into ferrochrome, which makes stainless steel stainless. South Africa's Bushveld Complex holds more than 80% of the world's chromite reserves and is the dominant exporter of chrome ore, mostly to China. A large share comes as UG2 chrome concentrate recovered from platinum-mine tailings. Zimbabwe's Great Dyke is the #2 African source, and Zimbabwe bans raw chrome ore exports to force local ferrochrome smelting.

Supply
Spot + Contract (ferrochrome only from Zimbabwe)
Assay
Independent — required
Origin
Verified per offer
Request supply
Request supply