Czechia

In 2024, Czechia was estimated to have accounted for 4.9% of the world’s kaolin production, 1.0% of the world’s bentonite production, and 0.5% of the world’s industrial garnet production. Other mineral commodities produced included cement; brick clay; dolomite; feldspar; ferrovanadium; graphite; gypsum; pig iron; lime; limestone; nitrogen (ammonia); platinum-group metals; quartz and quartzite; sand and gravel; crushed and dimension stone; raw and semimanufactured steel; sulfuric acid; titanium dioxide; tungsten products; uranium; and zinc as well as secondary aluminum, copper, gold, lead, and silver.  

The mining and quarrying sector contributed about 0.4% to the country’s gross domestic product. The legislative framework for the mineral sector in Czechia is provided by Act No. 44/1988 (Mining Act), as amended, and Act No. 62/1988 (Geological Act), as amended. The Státní Báňská Správa (State Mining Administration) and the Czech Mining Authority (the central body of the State Mining Administration) oversee the country’s mineral industry. Most mining and mineral-processing facilities were privately owned by either domestic companies or foreign holding companies in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, or the United Kingdom. DIAMO s.p., a company wholly owned by the Government, was the country’s only producer of uranium, which was produced as a byproduct of uranium mining remediation activities. 

In 2024, Constellium Extrusions Decin s.r.o. completed the installation of a new baling press, which increased its aluminum recycling capacity to 40,000 metric tons per year (t/yr) from 20,000 t/yr. Třinecké Železárny a.s. invested about \$6.8 million in projects for the development and modernization of its integrated steel plant, among which included the repair and reconstruction of furnace No. 4, decarbonization and modernization of the steel plant, and the construction of a new 700,000-t/yr cold iron ore briquetting line. Vítkovice Steel a.s. put into operation a new 12,000-t/yr cutting machine for its semimanufactured steel products production. Holcim (Cesko) a.s. began construction of a new calcined clay processing line at its cement plant in Cizkovice, which would partially replace clinker in the production of cement when operational in 2026. Českomoravský Cement, a.s. changed its name to Heidelberg Materials, CZ a.s. and the company commenced its 1.2-million-metric-ton-per-year (-Mt/yr) (estimated) clinker production modernization project at its plant in Mokra-Horakov, which would replace the plant’s two clinker kilns with one more energy-efficient kiln when operational in 2027. Cemex Czech Republic s.r.o. expanded its aggregates production capabilities by completing its acquisition of the Cernetice Quarry, which had a production capacity of 250,000 t/yr.  

2024 Report

Full data release with tables here.

Introduction 

In 2024, Czechia was estimated to have produced 4.9% of the world’s kaolin production, 1.0% of the world’s bentonite production, and 0.5% of the world’s industrial garnet production. Other mineral commodities produced included cement; brick clay; dolomite; feldspar; ferrovanadium; graphite; gypsum; pig iron; lime; limestone; nitrogen (ammonia); platinum-group metals; quartz and quartzite; sand and gravel; crushed and dimension stone; raw and semimanufactured steel; sulfuric acid; titanium dioxide; tungsten products; uranium; and zinc as well as secondary aluminum, copper, gold, lead, and silver (Production table (formerly table 1); Olsen, 2026; Simmons, 2026). 

Minerals in the National Economy 

In 2024, the real gross domestic product (GDP) of Czechia increased by 1.2% compared with that in 2023; the nominal GDP was \$347 billion.¹ The mining and quarrying sector accounted for 0.4% of the country’s total output. Mining of coal accounted for 45.1% of the mining and quarrying sector’s output; unclassified mining and quarrying, 35.4%; mining support service activities, 7.7%; and mining of metallic ores, 6.7%. The manufacturing sector accounted for 33.5% of the country’s total output. Manufacturing of fabricated metal products excluding machinery and equipment accounted for 8.6% of the manufacturing sector’s output; machinery and equipment, 7.2%; chemicals and chemical products, 6.3%; basic metals (including ferrous and nonferrous metals), 3.6%; and other nonmetallic mineral products, 3.4% (Czech Statistical Office, 2025a, d). 

The mining and quarrying sector employed 18,979 people during the year, which was a decrease of 3.8% compared with that in 2023. Within the sector, approximately 43% were employed in coal mining; 28% in unclassified mining and quarrying; 17% in metallic ore mining; and 10% in mining support activities. The manufacturing sector employed 1,219,610 people during the year, which was a decrease of 1.7% compared with that in 2023. Within the sector, approximately 16% were employed in fabricated metal product manufacturing not including machinery and equipment; 10% in machinery and equipment manufacturing; 4% in the manufacturing of other nonmetallic mineral products; and 3% each in the manufacturing of basic metals and the manufacturing of chemicals and chemical products (Czech Statistical Office, 2025b). 

Government Policies and Programs 

The legislative framework for the mineral sector in Czechia is provided by Act No. 44/1988 (Mining Act), as amended, and Act No. 62/1988 (Geological Act), as amended. The Státní Báňská Správa (State Mining Administration) oversees the country’s mineral industry. The Czech Mining Authority, the central body of the State Mining Administration, supervises seven Regional Mining Authorities who are responsible for the administration and management of mining activities, including monitoring compliance with mining laws and issuing mining licenses. The Ministry of the Environment is the central state administration that conducts geologic work, operates the Czech Geological Survey, supervises environmental protection during mining activities, identifies and protects the country’s mineral resources, defines exploration areas, and grants approval for mineral exploration and prospecting activities for reserved minerals. More-extensive coverage of Government policies and programs can be found in previous editions of this chapter in the U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook, volume III, Area Reports—International—Europe and Central Eurasia, which are available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/europ… (Czech Geological Survey, 2024, p. 26–28; Státní Báňská Správa, 2024b; Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic, undated).  

Production 

Data on mineral production are in the Production table (formerly table 1). 

Structure of the Mineral Industry 

Most mining and mineral processing facilities were privately owned by either domestic companies or foreign holding companies registered in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Mexico, United Arab Emirates, or the United Kingdom. DIAMO s.p., a wholly owned company by the Government, was the country’s only producer of uranium, which was produced as a byproduct of uranium mining remediation activities. The Facilities table (formerly table 2) is a list of major mineral industry facilities. 

Mineral Trade 

Czechia’s total exports of goods were valued at \$201 billion in 2024. Exports of mining and quarrying products including unclassified mining and quarrying products were valued at \$241 million; and metallic ores, $4 million. Exports of manufactured products including machinery and equipment were valued at \$21.9 billion; fabricated metal products not including machinery and equipment, \$11.8 billion; chemicals and chemical products, \$9.5 billion; basic metals, \$6.4 billion; and other nonmetallic mineral products, \$3.6 billion. Czechia’s leading export partners were, by export value, Germany, which accounted for 29.4% of total exports of goods; Slovakia, 9.1%; Poland, 7.4%; France, 4.8%; and the United Kingdom, 4.7% (Czech Statistical Office, 2025c, table 2, table 4). 

Total imports of goods were valued at \$191 billion. Imports of mining and quarrying products including metallic ores were valued at \$443 million; and unclassified mining and quarrying products, \$299 million. Imports of manufactured products including machinery and equipment were valued at \$16.7 billion; chemicals and chemical products, \$15.2 billion; basic metals, \$13.8 billion; fabricated metal products not including machinery and equipment, \$9.4 billion; and other nonmetallic mineral products, \$2.4 billion. The country’s leading import partners were, by import value, Germany, which accounted for 22.7% of total imports of goods; China, 12.2%; Poland, 9.4%; Slovakia, 5.4%; and Italy, 4.4% (Czech Statistical Office, 2025c, table 2, table 4). 

In 2023, total imports from the United States to Czechia were valued at \$4.28 billion. This included exports of finished metal shapes, which were valued at \$75.7 million; excavating machinery, \$62.0 million; metalworking machine tools, \$24.2 million; unclassified nonferrous metals, \$22.6 million; iron, steel mill, and other products, \$19.4 million; organic and inorganic chemicals, \$7.3 million; aluminum and alumina, \$4.9 million; and other precious metals, \$4.5 million. Total exports to the United States from Czechia were valued at \$8.07 billion. This included imports of excavating machinery, which were valued at \$380 million; iron, steel mill, and other products, \$146 million; organic and inorganic chemicals, \$67.6 million; finished metal shapes, \$61.9 million; steelmaking materials, \$29.1 million; unclassified nonferrous metals, \$28.5 million; stone, sand, and cement, \$21.8 million; bauxite and aluminum, \$8.5 million; other precious metals, \$3.5 million; chemical fertilizers, \$2.3 million; and nickel, \$1.3 million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2025).  

Commodity Review 

Metals 

Aluminum.—Constellium Extrusions Decin s.r.o., wholly owned by Constellium S.E. of France, operated a secondary aluminum plant comprised of three casthouses, 3 extrusion units, and a recycling unit, which had a secondary aluminum production capacity of 100,000 metric tons per year (t/yr). About 850 people were employed at the plant. In 2024, the company completed the installation of a new baling press, which increased the plant’s aluminum recycling capacity to 40,000 t/yr of both pre- and postconsumer aluminum scrap from 20,000 t/yr as reported in 2023. This new recycling capacity makes Constellium Extrusions Decin the third-largest aluminum recycler of Constellium S.E.’s global subsidiaries as of 2024 (Facilities table; Constellium SE, 2024, undated). 

Iron and Steel.—Třinecké Železárny a.s., a subsidiary of Moravia Steel a.s., operated an integrated steel plant that produced 2.43 million metric tons (Mt) of raw steel in 2024, which was higher, by about 0.4%, compared with that in 2023. The company’s raw steel production was about 95% of the country’s total raw steel production in 2024. During the year, the company invested about \$6.8 million in the development and modernization of the integrated steel plant and 26 projects were under construction, among which included the repair and reconstruction of furnace No. 4, decarbonization and modernization of the steel plant, and the addition of a new cold iron ore briquetting line. The latter would replace the current sinter plant when completed, which was expected to be operational by the middle of 2027. The briquetting line was expected to have a production capacity of up to an estimated 700,000 t/yr of briquettes and would create 12 new jobs at the steel plant. Třinecké Železárny employed 6,864 people in 2024 (Facilities table; Třinecké Železárny a.s., 2024a, p. 5, 11, 15, 19, 24; 2024b). 

In 2024, the country’s total production of pig iron, raw steel, and semimanufactured steel products decreased by 27%, 25%, and 27% (estimated), respectively, compared with those in 2023 owing to limited to no production at Liberty Ostrava a.s.’s integrated steel plant, which had been nearly idle since December 2023. The company, owned by Liberty Steel Group of the United Kingdom, was sent to bankruptcy by a court in June owing to insolvency and over half its workforce of about 6,000 employees were laid off in the second half of 2024. At yearend, the insolvency administrator was still seeking a buyer for the company (Facilities table; Production table; Agence France-Presse, 2024; Forbes Česko and CTK, 2024; Třinecké Železárny a.s., 2024a, p. 19). 

In June, Vítkovice Steel a.s., a semimanufactured steel products producer in Ostrava, signed an agreement with Vulcan Green Steel, a subsidiary of the Jindal Steel Group, to procure up to 1 million metric tons per year (Mt/yr) of steel slabs from its environmentally friendly “green” steel mill under construction in Oman, which was expected to be operational in 2026. Vítkovice Steel would use the procured steel to produce green steel products such as sheets, sheet piles, and cut shapes. In August, the company put into operation a new cutting machine that had a production capacity of 12,000 t/yr of cut shapes. The new equipment increased the company’s cut shapes production capacity by about a third. In December, O.P. Jindal Group received approval by the Office of Protection of Competition after completion of its antitrust review to purchase 100% shares of Vítkovice Steel. The O.P. Jindal Group planned to invest up to an estimated \$160 million in the development of the plant, which would include investments in the production of higher value-added steel products and increasing the production capacity of rolled sheets. O.P. Jindal Group also expected to create new jobs at the facility. Vítkovice Steel reported in December that it employed over 800 people (Facilities table; Vítkovice Steel a.s., 2024a–c). 

Industrial Minerals 

Cement—According to the Czech Cement Association, the country’s cement imports increased by about 2.9% in 2024 compared with that in 2023, domestic cement consumption, by 2.9%; cement production, by 2.8%; and cement exports, by 1.7%. A total of 4.1 Mt of limestone was consumed for the country’s cement production (Production table; Czech Cement Association, 2025, p. 5). 

In 2024, Holcim (Cesko) a.s. began construction of a new calcined clay processing line at its cement plant in Cizkovice with an investment of about \$43 million, of which the Ministry of the Environment subsidized about \$14 million. The calcined clay would partially replace clinker in the production of cement. The new processing line was expected to be operational in 2026 (Holcim (Cesko) a.s., 2024; Holcim Ltd., 2025, p. 73). 

In January, Českomoravský Cement a.s., a wholly owned subsidiary of Heidelberg Materials AG, changed its name to Heidelberg Materials CZ a.s. In 2024, the company commenced its 1.2-Mt/yr (estimated) clinker production modernization project at its plant in Mokra-Horakov, which included obtaining project permits, demolition work, and signing a contract with CBMI Construction Co. Ltd. of China for the general contracting of the project. The project, which was expected to be completed in 2027, included replacing the cement plant’s two clinker kilns with one more energy-efficient kiln. Additionally, the company planned to install a new clinker cooler, raw material mill, homogenizing solo, and other equipment as part of the project (Ministry of Regional Development, The, 2024; Heidelberg Materials CZ a.s., 2025a, b; Sinoma International Engineering Co., Ltd., 2025, p. 21). 

Lime.—According to the Czech Lime Association, the country’s lime imports decreased by about 10.6% in 2024 compared with that in 2023, domestic lime consumption, by 5.2%; and lime production, by 3.1%. Lime exports increased by about 1.9% in 2024 compared with that in 2023. In January, SigmaRoc plc of the United Kingdom completed its purchase of CRH plc’s share in the lime producer Vápenka Vitošov s.r.o. becoming the majority shareholder of 75% (Facilities table; Production table; Czech Lime Association, 2025, p. 2; SigmaRoc plc, 2025, p. 52, 236). 

Stone and Sand and Gravel.—In January, Cemex Czech Republic s.r.o. expanded its aggregates production capabilities by completing its acquisition of the Cernetice Quarry. According to the State Mining Administration, the previously registered owner of the quarry was ERB Invest s.r.o. who had owned the quarry since 2014. The production capacity of the quarry was 250,000 t/yr of crushed aggregates (Cemex Czech Republic s.r.o., 2024; Státní Báňská Správa, 2024a). 

In October, Cemex Czech Republic resubmitted an application to expand its Prachovice Quarry after being rejected by the Ministry of the Environment for environmental concerns in previous application attempts. If approved, the company would deepen the limestone quarry by about 42 meters and increase its mining capacity to 1.7 Mt/yr from 1.2 Mt/yr. In December, the Ministry of the Environment reported that it was conducting its own dispersion study to corroborate the study included by in the company in its environmental impact assessment. The application to expand the Prachovice Quarry was still pending at yearend (Kopecký, 2024; Půlpán, 2024).  

Production table

(Metric tons, gross weight, unless otherwise specified)

References Cited

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