Minerals Information

Zinc is mined in more than 50 countries and is produced as metal and compounds in about 40 countries. In 1990, the leading ore-producing countries were Canada, Australia, and the U.S.S.R., in order of mine production; the leading metal-producing countries were the U.S.S.R., Japan, and Canada, in order of primary smelter production. The United States accounted for only about 7% of world mine output and about 5% of world smelter production in the same year. This was not always so; during most of the 1900-70 period, the United States was the world's leading mine and smelter producer of zinc and, in the 1950's, accounted for more than one-half of world metal production. From the late 1960's to the mid-1980's, U.S. mine and smelter output declined by one-half and two-thirds, respectively. Mine production rose to former levels in 1989 and 1990 owing to the opening of a large zinc mine in Alaska. Smelter capacity, however, only marginally increased and, in 1990, was only about 40% of that of 1968.

The United States has been the leading world consumer of zinc since the early 1900's and currently consumes about one- seventh of world output. As a result of the substantial decline in domestic zinc smelter capacity, reliance on metal imports remains high. Ironically, the United States has become a major world exporter of zinc concentrate, but continues to be the world's largest importer of refined zinc.

• Table 1.--U.S. historical salient zinc statistics
• Table 2.--Mine production of recoverable zinc in the United States, by State
• Table 3.--Primary and secondary slab zinc produced in the United States
• Table 4.--U.S. production of selected zinc compounds, zinc content
• Table 5.--Consumption of slab zinc, by industry
• Table 6.--U.S. consumption of zinc
• Table 7.--Yearend stocks of slab zinc in the United States
• Table 8.--Average U.S., LME, and European producer prices for equivalent zinc
• Table 9.--U.S. imports for consumption of zinc
• Table 10.--U.S. exports of zinc
• Table 11.--Zinc: World mine production
• Table 12.--Zinc: World smelter production, by country
• Table 13.--Zinc: 5-year averages of recoverable mine production and value, by region, 1907-91
• Table 14.--Zinc consumption of new and old scrap in the United States, by type of scrap
• Table 15.--Zinc recovered from scrap processed in the United States, by kind of scrap and form of recovery
• Table 16.--U.S. imports for consumption of zinc, by four leading countries
• Table 17.--U.S. zinc metal and mine refinery production, capacity, and capacity utilization 1967-90