What is it?
Soft, fine-grained rock made of microscopic plates that slide over each other when wet — which is why it can be shaped and then fired hard.
Why does it matter?
Kaolin whitens paper and paint, bentonite seals landfills and drills wells, and common clay becomes every brick and roof tile.
Deeper written sections for this material have not been published yet. Everything below is drawn straight from the source datasets and is complete.
Who produces it
See it on a map →Mine production: Bentonite
Mine production: Bentonitethousand metric tons 2025 (estimated)
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · Gross weight, reported separately by clay type (kaolin, ball clay, bentonite, fire clay, fuller's earth, common clay). · source ↗
Scroll the table sideways for the remaining columns.
| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| Other countries | 4,300 | — |
| United States | 4,100 | — |
| India | 3,700 | — |
| Turkey | 2,500 | — |
| China | 2,100 | — |
| Iran | 1,300 | — |
| Greece | 1,000 | — |
| Czechia | 190.0 | — |
| Spain | 120.0 | — |
| Mexico | 80.00 | — |
| Uzbekistan | 60.00 | — |
| Russia | 40.00 | — |
| Senegal | Zero | — |
Mine production: Bentonite, rounded
Mine production: Bentonite, roundedthousand metric tons 2025 (estimated) World total 20,000 thousand metric tons
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · Gross weight, reported separately by clay type (kaolin, ball clay, bentonite, fire clay, fuller's earth, common clay). · source ↗
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| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| World total | 20,000 | 100% |
Mine production: Fuller’s earth
Mine production: Fuller’s earththousand metric tons 2025 (estimated)
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · Gross weight, reported separately by clay type (kaolin, ball clay, bentonite, fire clay, fuller's earth, common clay). · source ↗
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| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 2,400 | — |
| India | 730.0 | — |
| Spain | 690.0 | — |
| Other countries | 190.0 | — |
| Senegal | 190.0 | — |
| Mexico | 120.0 | — |
| Greece | 50.00 | — |
| Turkey | 30.00 | — |
| Iran | Zero | — |
| Russia | Zero | — |
| Uzbekistan | Zero | — |
| Czechia | Zero | — |
| China | Zero | — |
Mine production: Fuller’s earth, rounded
Mine production: Fuller’s earth, roundedthousand metric tons 2025 (estimated) World total 4,400 thousand metric tons
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · Gross weight, reported separately by clay type (kaolin, ball clay, bentonite, fire clay, fuller's earth, common clay). · source ↗
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| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| World total | 4,400 | 100% |
Mine production: Kaolin
Mine production: Kaolinthousand metric tons 2025 (estimated)
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · Gross weight, reported separately by clay type (kaolin, ball clay, bentonite, fire clay, fuller's earth, common clay). · source ↗
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| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| Other countries | 11,000 | — |
| India | 8,400 | — |
| China | 7,800 | — |
| Uzbekistan | 6,000 | — |
| Russia | 5,000 | — |
| United States | 4,800 | — |
| Czechia | 2,400 | — |
| Iran | 2,100 | — |
| Turkey | 2,000 | — |
| Spain | 400.0 | — |
| Mexico | 50.00 | — |
| Greece | Zero | — |
| Senegal | Zero | — |
Mine production: Kaolin, rounded
Mine production: Kaolin, roundedthousand metric tons 2025 (estimated) World total 50,000 thousand metric tons
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · Gross weight, reported separately by clay type (kaolin, ball clay, bentonite, fire clay, fuller's earth, common clay). · source ↗
Scroll the table sideways for the remaining columns.
| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| World total | 50,000 | 100% |
“Withheld” means the USGS suppressed the figure to avoid disclosing an individual company's data — it does not mean zero. Country rows do not always sum to the world total because the source rounds each figure independently and does not always break out an “other countries” line.
Price
average unit value, ex-works, dollars per metric ton: Kaolin
Annual averagedollars per metric ton
Basis: average unit value, ex-works, dollars per metric ton: Kaolin. Annual averages as published in USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗. These are reference annual averages, not a live market quote.
average unit value, ex-works, dollars per metric ton: Fire clay
Annual averagedollars per metric ton
Basis: average unit value, ex-works, dollars per metric ton: Fire clay. Annual averages as published in USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗. These are reference annual averages, not a live market quote.
average unit value, ex-works, dollars per metric ton: Ball clay
Annual averagedollars per metric ton
Basis: average unit value, ex-works, dollars per metric ton: Ball clay. Annual averages as published in USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗. These are reference annual averages, not a live market quote.
average unit value, ex-works, dollars per metric ton: Common clay
Annual averagedollars per metric ton
Basis: average unit value, ex-works, dollars per metric ton: Common clay. Annual averages as published in USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗. These are reference annual averages, not a live market quote.
average unit value, ex-works, dollars per metric ton: Bentonite
Annual averagedollars per metric ton
Basis: average unit value, ex-works, dollars per metric ton: Bentonite. Annual averages as published in USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗. These are reference annual averages, not a live market quote.
average unit value, ex-works, dollars per metric ton: Fuller’s earth
Annual averagedollars per metric ton
Basis: average unit value, ex-works, dollars per metric ton: Fuller’s earth. Annual averages as published in USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗. These are reference annual averages, not a live market quote.