Products & Markets
> Zircon

Home > Products & Markets > Zircon

High-Grade Zircon: a Valuable Commodity

The mainstay of the mineral sands industry, zircon is the mineral sand component with the highest commercial value. In most projects – including Mandiri – both zircon and titanium minerals can be found within the same deposits.

Zircon’s increased usage and rising scarcity – especially for high-grade zircon – have led to a robust pricing environment: since existing reserves are being depleted, while few large deposits have entered the market over the last two decades.

Supply and Demand

GLOBAL ZIRCON SUPPLY AND DEMAND OUTLOOK

Zircon’s prices are thus expected to remain strong, trading within a healthy range over the next few years, with sustained upward pressure expected to persist over the mid to long term.

Price

ZIRCON (PREMIUM GRADE) PRICE AND OUTLOOK TO 2027

Image module

Why zircon?

Zircon and its derivatives possess remarkable properties of strength, hardness, and heat and wear resistance that make them suitable across a wide variety of applications.

• Opacity – Whiteness
• Hardness
• Low Thermal Expansion
• High Melting Point
• Low Thermal Conductivity
• Chemical Inert
• Low Neutron Absorption

A versatile mineral with many applications

An opaque, hard-wearing mineral, zircon’s unique chemical and thermal properties have been fuelling demand for this versatile mineral.

Currently, over 50% of all zircon is used to provide whiteness, strength and corrosion resistance in ceramics manufacturing. In addition to ceramic tiles, zircon can be found in sinks, sanitary ware and tableware. Due to its degree of whiteness, Zircon from Kalimantan stands out among other mining regions and is particularly sought after by the ceramic industry.

Zircon and its derivatives (zirconia and zirconium) are also used in more specialised applications such as precision and specialty castings, various refractory applications, catalysts, fuel cells, fibre optics, nuclear power generation, water treatment and medical prosthetics.

Zircon is also used to produce synthetic gemstone and diamond imitations.

logo