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The Mineral Industry of California

By National Minerals Information Center

Statistics and information on the nonfuel mineral commodities produced in California

Minerals Yearbook Vol. II - Domestic

California mineral commodity producing areas map from 2014 Minerals Yearbook

2017-2018 data for California are summarized in the table on this web page. The 2015 chapter data tables (XLS) and 2014 chapter containing text and data tables in PDF and XLS formats are available, with other years, through the links below.

Sources of information

California is the sole producer of  boron and rare earths and a leading producer of aggregates, cement, diatomite, feldpar, pumice, soda ash, and produced the widest variety of industrial minerals and metals of all the States.

 The following data table gives nonfuel mineral commodity production data for California extracted from Table 5 in the 2018 Minerals Yearbook Statistical Summary.

Nonfuel Mineral Commodity Production in California1,2,3
Mineral Commodity Units 2017 Quantity 2017 Value (thousands) 2018 Quantity 2018 Value (thousands)
Cement, masonry Thousand metric tons (1000 t) 229 27,000e 207 24,800e
Cement, portland 1000 t 9,960 988,000e 10,400 1,110,000e
Clay: common 1000t 501 12,800 406 9,800
Gemstones, naturale 1000 t NA 851 NA 863
Gypsum, crude 1000 t 858 6,440r 858 10,100
Rare earthse, 5 metric tons -- -- 13,900 W
Sand and gravel, construction 1000 t 100,000 1,280,000 106,000 1,360,000
Sand and gravel, industrial 1000 t 1,780 55,000 1,760 60,500
Stone, crushed 1000 t 44,900r 422,000r 46,000 439,000
Stone, dimension 1000 t 19 6,890 18 6,300
Combined values of boron minerals, clay (bentonite, common, montmorillonite, kaolin), diatomite, feldspar, gold, lime, magnesium compounds, pumice and pumicite, salt, silver, soda ash, zeolites, and values indicated by symbol W.   XX 1,440,000 XX 1,420,000
Total   XX 4,240,000r XX 4,440,000

eEstimated. rRevised. NA Not available. XX Not applicable. -- Zero.

1Includes data from the commodity chapters published in the Minerals Yearbook as they were completed and released through June 2022.

2Production as measured by mine shipments, sales, or marketable production (including consumption by producers). Mine output measured as sold or used by producers is primarily shown in the tables, because values can be assigned. Where sold or used data are not available, actual mine output is used as the production measurement and value is estimated average price of the mineral commodity for that year. Data are reported in gross weight unless otherwise specified.

3Data are rounded to no more than three significant digits; may not add to totals shown.

5Rare-earth-oxide (REO) basis.

Minerals Yearbook Volume II California chapters:

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Current edition: 

| 2014 PDF format | 2014 XLS format | 2015 tables-only release | 

Recent years:

  • PDF Format:

| 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010-2011 | 2012-2013 | 2014 |

  • XLS Format:

| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010-2011 | 2012-2013 | 2014 | 2015 tables-only release | 

Archive:| 1932-1993 |

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