Minerals & more

We mine or process more than 30 different minerals extracted from over 100 mineral deposits around the world. Imerys continuously replaces and develops our mineral reserves and resources to ensure we hold an average of 20 years’ worth of production in reserves. We process or synthesize these minerals into solutions specifically designed for their end-use applications and to meet the precise needs of our customers.

Andalusite

Andalusite

Andalusite is a naturally occurring alumino-silicate mineral with a high alumina content. Andalusite is a precious raw material in the production of refractories and foundry castings.

Ball clay rocks

Ball clay

Ball clay is an extremely rare rock, only found at a handful of locations around the world. Ball clay is particularly valued as a base material in the manufacture of ceramics.

Bentonite

Bentonite

Bentonite is a highly absorbent, viscous plastic clay which is a valuable binding, sealing, absorbing and lubricating agent in a huge variety of industries and applications.

A banner image for the Calcium aluminate mineral

Calcium aluminate

Calcium aluminate specialty binders for use in refractory, building chemistry, construction and infrastructure works.

Carbonate

Calcium carbonate

Calcium carbonate is an essential and versatile mineral which finds its way into our daily life.

Carbon black

Carbon black

Carbon black is an extremely versatile substance which is making an increasingly valuable contribution to the automotive industry. Imerys is the leading supplier of highly conductive carbon-based solutions for conductive carbon black used in lithium-ion batteries powering electric vehicles and consumer electronics. It is also a valuable ingredient in polymer compounds used in electronic devices and the automotive industry.

Chamotte

Chamotte

Chamotte is high alumina calcined clay, used primarily for the production of ceramics and refractories.

Diatomite rock

Diatomite

Derived from the remains of microscopic fossilized sea or freshwater algaes, diatomite is a naturally occurring, versatile mineral used in an array of applications from cosmetics to filtration.

Feldspar

Feldspar

Feldspar is the most abundant group of minerals in the Earth’s crust. Their use in industrial applications is widespread. In fact, feldspar can be found in a great many objects we use on a daily basis!

Product range-Fused alumina

Fused alumina

With 12 production sites for fused alumina, we are the market leader in this industry. Fused alumina is used in grinding, blasting, and cutting operations and to produce refractory materials.

Graphite

Graphite

Graphite has a wide variety of properties and uses. Prized for its electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, softness, chemical inertness, heat resistance and lubricity, its applications range from high performance lithium-ion batteries, alkaline batteries, conductive polymers, refractories or brake pads.

Halloysite

Halloysite

Halloysite is a relatively rare natural form of kaolinite, appreciated by high-end tableware manufacturers over the world for the high-whiteness and translucent qualities it confers.

Kaolin

Kaolin

Kaolin is a rock from which the clay mineral kaolinite is derived. This one has been used for millennia as the principal ingredient in porcelain tableware. Today Imerys kaolins bring critical properties to a host of end applications ranging from paper to paints, fiberglass to cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

Minerals - Lithium

Lithium

Lithium is a very light alkali element that is a critical component in the manufacture of batteries for the automotive industry. It is an essential and strategic raw material for meeting the challenge of the energy transition. Imerys has launched plans to start lithium mining by the end of the decade at its Beauvoir site in central France and its Imerys British Lithium site in Cornwall, UK.

Mica

Mica

Mica is an ultra-platy, chemically resistant, reflective, refractive, resilient and temperature stable mineral, highly prized in a range of applications.

Moler

Moler

Moler is a unique mixture of diatom shells and smectite clay used as an absorption agent in an unlimited array of applications ranging from cat litter to soil amendment to steel making.

Mullite

Mullite

Extremely rare in its natural form, mullite is artificially produced for industry by melting or firing various alumino-silicates. The outstanding thermo-mechanical properties and stability of the resulting synthetic mullite make it a key component in many refractory and foundry applications.

Perlite rock from Imerys

Perlite

Derived from volcanic rock, perlite is a natural, lightweight, inert and fireproof rock making it a rock of choice for a wide variety of end uses from cosmetics to construction.

Quartz

Quartz

Quartz is one of the most common and well-known minerals on the planet. Best known as the principal constituent of glass, quartz offers multiple other uses ranging from construction granulates to solar panels.

Talc

Talc

The softest rock on the planet, talc is an ultra-versatile mineral valued for its diverse properties by a wide range of applications.

Wollastonite

Wollastonite

Wollastonite’s unique chemistry and needle-shaped physical structure make it one of the world’s most versatile and effective value-added performance materials.

Zeolite mineral

Zeolite

Zeolite is a hydrated, crystalline aluminosilicate mineral with a honeycomb microstructure which is successfully used in a wide range of applications for its unique physical and chemical properties.

Zirconia

Zirconia

Zirconia is a synthetic mineral derived from zircon sand. Due to its hardness and extremely high-temperature resistance, it is a valuable material in a wide range of industries and end products ranging from advanced ceramics and refractories to fake diamonds!