What is it?
The softest mineral there is — a fingernail scratches it — used as a filler that makes plastics stiffer and paper smoother.
Why does it matter?
Talc is a functional filler by the hundred thousand tonnes: it is in car bumpers, paint, ceramics and roofing far more than in cosmetics.
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
Mine productionthousand metric tons 2025 (estimated) World total 6,900 thousand metric tons
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · Gross weight; crude and beneficiated grades combined. · source ↗
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| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 300.0 | 4.3% |
| South Africa | 300.0 | 4.3% |
| Korea, Republic of | 300.0 | 4.3% |
| Finland | 200.0 | 2.9% |
| Afghanistan | 200.0 | 2.9% |
| Japan | 130.0 | 1.9% |
| World total | 6,900 | 100% |
Mine production: crude
Mine production: crudethousand metric tons 2025 (estimated)
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · Gross weight; crude and beneficiated grades combined. · source ↗
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| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 490.0 | — |
| France | 300.0 | — |
Mine production: crude and beneficiated
Mine production: crude and beneficiatedthousand metric tons 2025 (estimated)
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · Gross weight; crude and beneficiated grades combined. · source ↗
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| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 570.0 | — |
Mine production: includes crude
Mine production: includes crudethousand metric tons 2025 (estimated)
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · Gross weight; crude and beneficiated grades combined. · source ↗
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| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| Other countries | 790.0 | — |
Mine production: includes steatite
Mine production: includes steatitethousand metric tons 2025 (estimated)
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · Gross weight; crude and beneficiated grades combined. · source ↗
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| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | 170.0 | — |
Mine production: steatite
Mine production: steatitethousand metric tons 2025 (estimated)
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · Gross weight; crude and beneficiated grades combined. · source ↗
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Mine production: unspecified minerals
Mine production: unspecified mineralsthousand metric tons 2025 (estimated)
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · Gross weight; crude and beneficiated grades combined. · source ↗
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“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.
Who holds the reserves
Reserves
Reservesthousand metric tons 2025
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗
| Country | Reserves | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 100,000 | — |
| Korea, Republic of | 81,000 | — |
| Turkey | 15,000 | — |
| South Africa | Not applicable | — |
| Afghanistan | Large | — |
| Finland | Large | — |
| World total | Large | 100% |
Reserves: crude
Reserves: crudethousand metric tons 2025
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗
| Country | Reserves | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 140,000 | — |
| France | Large | — |
Reserves: crude and beneficiated
Reserves: crude and beneficiatedthousand metric tons 2025
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗
| Country | Reserves | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 48,000 | — |
Reserves: includes crude
Reserves: includes crudethousand metric tons 2025
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗
| Country | Reserves | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| Other countries | Large | — |
Reserves: includes steatite
Reserves: includes steatitethousand metric tons 2025
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗
| Country | Reserves | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | Not applicable | — |
Reserves: steatite
Reserves: steatitethousand metric tons 2025
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗
Reserves: unspecified minerals
Reserves: unspecified mineralsthousand metric tons 2025
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗
Price
average, milled, dollars per metric ton
Annual averagedollars per metric ton
Basis: average, milled, 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.