In 2024, the United Kingdom was the world's 15th-ranked producer of sand and gravel (industrial, estimated), accounting for 1% of global production; 17th-ranked producer of lime, accounting for 0.3% of global production; and 19th-ranked producer of salt, accounting for 0.9% of global production. Other industrial minerals produced included barite, cement and clinker, clays, fluorspar, gypsum, nitrogen (ammonia), potash, sand and gravel (construction), stone, and talc. Metallic mineral commodities produced included aluminum, lead, nickel, pig iron, raw steel, silver, and steel products.
In 2023 (the latest year for which detailed data were available), gross value added from mining and quarrying in current prices totaled \$41 billion. In 2024, the leading mineral commodity exported to the United States was precious metals and precious stones ($5 billion).
The legislative framework for the mineral sector is provided by the Coal Industry Act 1994, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Mines and Quarry Act 1954, and the Mines Regulations 2014. Local mineral planning authorities—county council, the unitary authority, or the national park authority—were responsible for issuing extraction permissions for most minerals. The Crown, referring to the Monarchy, owns gold and silver resources and issues development and production licenses through the Crown Estate. Companies were privately owned and were headquartered both domestically and abroad.
