4 Top Countries for Tungsten Production

4 Top Countries for Tungsten Production

The critical metal is also used in welding, heavy metal alloys, heat sinks, turbine blades and as a substitute for lead in bullets.According to the most recent US Geological Survey report on the metal, world tungsten production came in at 95,000 MT in 2017, up from 2016’s 88,100 MT.brushed mens tungsten rings
This increase came despite reduced output from Mongolia, Rwanda and Spain. A large boost in production came from the UK, where production rose around 50 percent.The price of tungsten started to rise at the beginning of 2017, and had a good run for the remainder of the year, but tungsten prices ended 2018 relatively flat.

Even so, tungsten’s importance in industrial applications, from smartphones to car batteries, means demand won’t disappear anytime soon. With that in mind, it’s worth being aware of which countries produce the most tungsten. Here’s an overview of the top-producing nations last year.

1. China
China produced more tungsten in 2017 than it did in 2016, and remained the world’s largest producer by a wide margin. In total, it put out 79,000 MT of tungsten last year, up from 72,000 MT the year before.

It’s possible that Chinese tungsten production may fall in the future — the Asian nation has limited the quantity of tungsten-mining and export licenses it awards, and has imposed quotas on concentrate tungsten production. The country has also recently increased environmental inspections.

In addition to being the world’s largest tungsten producer, China is also the world’s top consumer of the metal. It was the main source of tungsten imported into the US in 2017 as well, reportedly bringing in 34 percent at a value of 5 million. US-imposed tariffs on Chinese goods as part of a trade war between the two countries that began in 2018 may impact those numbers moving forward.

2. Vietnam
Unlike China, Vietnam experienced another jump in tungsten production in 2017. It put out 7,200 MT of the metal compared to 6,500 MT the previous year. Privately owned Masan Resources runs the Vietnam-based Nui Phao mine, which it says is the largest tungsten-producing mine outside China. It is also one of the lowest-cost producers of tungsten in the world.
3. Russia
Russia’s tungsten production was flat from 2016 to 2017, coming in at 3,100 MT in both years. This plateau came in spite of President Vladimir Putin’s order that production resume at the Tyrnyauz tungsten-molybdenum field. Putin would like to see a large-scale mining and processing complex established.

Wolfram Company is the country’s largest producer of tungsten products, according to its website, and the company claims that each year it produces up to 1,000 tons of metal tungsten powder, plus up to 6,000 tons of tungsten oxide and up to 800 tons of tungsten carbide.

4. Bolivia

Bolivia tied with the UK for tungsten production in 2017. Despite moves to promote the tungsten industry in the country, Bolivia’s output remained flat at 1,100 MT.The Bolivian mining industry is heavily influenced by Comibol, the country’s state-owned mining umbrella company. The company reported a profit of .6 million for the 2017 fiscal year.