What is it?
The lightest structural metal, about a third lighter than aluminium, and the ingredient that makes most aluminium alloys work.
Why does it matter?
Aluminium alloying is the largest single use, so a magnesium shortage becomes an aluminium problem within weeks.
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 →Smelter production
Smelter productionthousand metric tons 2025 (estimated) World total 1,100 thousand metric tons
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · Primary metal production; the Pidgeon process dominates world output. · source ↗
Scroll the table sideways for the remaining columns.
| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| China | 950.0 | 86.4% |
| Russia | 60.00 | 5.5% |
| Brazil | 20.00 | 1.8% |
| Israel | 20.00 | 1.8% |
| Turkey | 15.00 | 1.4% |
| Kazakhstan | 13.00 | 1.2% |
| Iran | 5.00 | 0.5% |
| United States | Zero | — |
| Other countries | Zero | — |
| World total | 1,100 | 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
annual average: U.S. spot Western, dollars per pound
Annual averagedollars per pound
Basis: annual average: U.S. spot Western, dollars per pound. Annual averages as published in USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗. These are reference annual averages, not a live market quote.
annual average: European free market, dollars per metric ton
Annual averagedollars per metric ton
Basis: annual average: European free market, dollars per metric ton. Annual averages as published in USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗. These are reference annual averages, not a live market quote.
Export controls
| Country | Control | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| China | Export licensing requirement for materials and technologies | Antimony (2024), bismuth (2025), synthesized diamond (2025), gallium (2023), germanium (2023), graphite (2023), indium (2025), magnesium materials (2024), molybdenum (2025), rare earths (2025), silver (2026), tellurium (2025), tungsten (2025), and items related to lithium batteries and artificial graphite anode materials (2025). ↗ |
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, table 4 — controls in effect as of January 2026, excluding controls since lifted.