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The United Kingdom

By National Minerals Information Center

The United Kingdom was the world's 15th-ranked producer of sand and gravel (industrial)

Pictured: a silica sand quartz grain

Statistics and information on the mining industry in the United Kingdom.

Overview

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 group 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. 

The United Kingdom did not produce gold in 2024 as the Cononish Mine in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, Scotland, remained closed for the entire year. In July, Liberty Speciality Steels Ltd. suspended operations at its plant in Rotherham, England, and at its plate mill in Motherwell, Scotland owing to financial difficulties. In September, Tata Steel UK Ltd. ceased steelmaking operations at the Port Talbot Steelworks in Wales to replace an existing blast furnace with a new electric arc furnace designed to produce 3.2 million metric tons per year of steel. The new furnace was expected to be commissioned by 2028. 

 

2024 Report

Full data release with tables here.

Introduction 

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 (Goodin, 2026; MacGregor, 2026a, b). 

 

Minerals in the National Economy 

The United Kingdom’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP) was \$3.6 trillion in 2024. The real GDP increased by 1.1% compared with that in 2023. In 2023 (the latest year for which detailed data were available), gross value added from mining and quarrying at current prices totaled \$41 billion.1 In 2024, the mining and quarrying sector employed about 54,000 workers (on average for a given quarter), accounting for 0.1% of the 37 million employed in the country. The British Geological Survey reported that there were 1,991 mineral workings (double counting multimineral workings and including abandoned methane mines) in the United Kingdom as of February 2025 (Bide and others, 2025; International Monetary Fund, 2025; Office for National Statistics, 2025a, b). 

 

Government Policies and Programs 

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. Except for coal, gold, natural gas, petroleum, and silver, mineral rights in the United Kingdom are privately owned; the owner of the land is entitled to all mineral deposits in the subsoil. No national licensing system exists for exploration and extraction, although mineral planning authorities—county council, the unitary authority, or the national park authority—generally were responsible for issuing extraction permissions for most minerals. However, the Crown, referring to the Monarchy, owns gold and silver resources and issues development and production licenses through the Crown Estate. The British Geological Survey oversees the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, which released a revised list of critical minerals for the United Kingdom in 2024: the list included 34 minerals classified as critical based on the risk of supply-chain disruption and their economic importance to the country. 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… (Government of the United Kingdom, 2014; Mudd and others, 2024, p. vi, vii; British Geological Survey, 2026; Dewar, 2026, p. 96).  

 

Production 

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

 

Structure of the Mineral Industry 

Companies were privately owned by a mix of companies headquartered both domestically and abroad. The Facilities table (formerly table 2) is a list of major mineral industry facilities. 

 

Mineral Trade 

By value, the United Kingdom foremost exported mineral commodities (Harmonized System [H.S.] chapters 25–27, 71–76, and 78–81) to China (\$33 billion), Switzerland (\$24 billion), and the Netherlands (\$15 billion). By value, the United Kingdom foremost imported mineral commodities from the United States (\$33 billion), Norway (\$27 billion), and Canada (\$19 billion). By H.S. chapter, the leading exported mineral commodity group, by value, was precious metals and stones (\$82 billion), followed by minerals fuels and their products (\$41 billion) and iron and steel (\$7.3 billion). The leading imported mineral commodity groups, by value, were precious metals and stones (\$93 billion), mineral fuels and their products (\$82 billion), and articles of iron and steel (\$12 billion). The leading mineral commodity group exported to the United States was precious metals and precious stones (\$5.2 billion). The leading mineral commodity group imported from the United States was minerals fuels and their products (\$18 billion) (UK Trade Info, 2026).  

 

Commodity Review 

Gold.—The United Kingdom did not produce gold in 2024 as the Cononish Mine in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, Scotland, remained closed for the entire year. SGZ Cononish Ltd., a subsidiary of Scotgold Resources Ltd. of Australia, the owner of the mine, cited staffing shortages, adverse weather conditions, and lower-than-expected ore grades. The company reported that equipment upgrades would be needed for production of ore to reach profitable level (Facility table; Production table; Scotting, 2025).  

Iron and Steel.—The United Kingdom produced 3,985,000 metric tons (t) of raw steel in 2024. Two steelmakers, Liberty Speciality Steels Ltd. (wholly owned by Liberty Steel Group) and Sheffield Forgemasters International Ltd., were domestically owned. Five others were owned by companies with headquarters abroad: Celsa Steel UK Ltd. (wholly owned by Celsa Group of Spain), British Steel Ltd. (wholly owned by Jingye Group of China), Marcegaglia Stainless Sheffield Ltd. (wholly owned by Marcegaglia Group of Italy), and Tata Steel UK Ltd. (wholly owned by Tata Steel Group of India) (Facilities table, Production table).  

In July, Liberty Speciality Steels Ltd. suspended operations at its plant in Rotherham, England, and at Dalzell Plate Mill in Motherwell, Scotland owing to financial difficulties. In September, Tata Steel UK Ltd. ceased steelmaking operations at the Port Talbot Steelworks in Wales, including the sinter plant and blast furnace. The Government of the United Kingdom invested \$639 million to replace the existing blast furnace with a 3.2-million-metric-ton-per-year (Mt/yr) electric arc furnace by 2028 (Facilities table; Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd., 2024; Tata Steel UK Ltd., 2024; Lux Metal Group, 2025).  

Lime.—The United Kingdom produced an estimated 1.3 million metric tons (Mt) of lime in 2024. LimeX Ltd. (wholly owned by British Sugar plc), Singleton Birch Ltd. (wholly owned by Mississippi Lime Co. of the United States), Speciality Minerals Ltd. (wholly owned by Minerals Technologies Inc. of the United States), Tata Steel Ltd. (wholly owned by Tata Steel Group of India), and Tarmac Ltd. (wholly owned by the CRH Group of Ireland) produced quicklime, hydrated lime, and (or) dolime at plants in England. Singleton Birch Ltd. announced an increase in hydrated lime production capacity at its plant in Melton Ross by 2025, although the amount of the planned increase was not specified. In March, SigmaRoc plc completed the acquisition of CRH Group’s lime operations in Derbyshire County; the sites would continue to be operated by the CRH group, but the material would be sold to SigmaRoc plc (Facilities table; Production table; Adam, 2024; Singleton Birch Ltd., 2024). 

Sand and Gravel (Industrial).—The United Kingdom produced an estimated 4.7 Mt of industrial sand and gravel. Production was forecast to double at Lochaline Quartz Sand Ltd.’s mine in Lochaline, Scotland, following the future installation of wet magnetic separators; as of 2024, the mine’s annual production capacity was estimated at 140,000 t. The company produced silica sand used for nearly a third of all window glass manufactured in the United Kingdom (Facilities table; Production table; Lochaber Chamber of Commerce, 2024; Scottish Financial News, 2024; Arnauld, 2021).  

 

Production table

(Metric tons, gross weight, unless otherwise specified)

Table includes data available through March 30, 2026. All data are reported unless otherwise noted. Estimated data are rounded to no more than three significant digits. In addition to the commodities listed, cobalt, nickel compounds, palladium, platinum, peat, refined lithium and soda ash (synthetic) may have been produced, but available information was inadequate to make reliable estimates of output.
Commodity 20202021202220232024
Aluminum, primary, metal35,70037,57131,33729,24630,000e
Aluminum, secondary, metal127,200120,000120,000120,000120,000e
Ball clay696,000e2945,000e21,040,000e2729,000e2700,000e2
Barite46,000e130,000e130,000e130,000e130,000e1
Cement, hydraulic8,046,0009,008,0008,393,0007,689,0007,283,000
Clays, unspecified, including shale2,952,0004,008,0004,004,0003,380,0004,000,000e
Clinker6,941,0007,367,0007,160,0006,357,0006,378,000
Fluorspar, all grades15,000e15,000e13,000e10,000e0e
Gold, mine, Au content (kilograms)28792661300e
Gypsum, crude1,300,000e32,400,000e32,400,000e32,200,000e32,200,000e3
Kaolin, china clay635,000e2735,000e2709,000e2514,000e2510,000e2
Lead, mine, Pb content100e4100e4100e40404
Lead, refinery, primary152,2005163,1005147,000e5120,000e5110,000e5
Lead, refinery, secondary163,000164,000165,000165,000168,000
Lime, hydrated and quicklime1,500,000e1,500,000e1,400,000e1,400,000e1,300,000e
Nickel, refinery, metal, electrolytic, Ni content35,17730,65433,38435,85135,000e
Nitrogen, ammonia, N content860,000e630,000e300,000e35,000e130,000e
Pig iron5,235,4595,804,6814,779,4034,508,5422,963,000
Potash, K2O content99,260110,460133,000141,000101,000
Raw steel7,086,0007,222,0005,963,0005,616,5363,985,000
Salt, all types2,377,7652,687,4832,645,5732,715,1182,600,000e
Sand and gravel, construction, common sand57,571,00064,576,00059,100,00054,956,00055,000,000e
Sand and gravel, industrial, sand, silica5,336,8054,870,0004,931,0004,741,0004,700,000e
Silver, mine, Ag content (kilograms)100e410e1,340e630e600e
Steel products, hot-rolled6,233,0006,060,0005,316,0004,940,000e4,130,000e
Stone, crushed, slate, including fill160,000e170,000e170,000e170,000e170,000e
Stone, crushed, unspecified118,000,000e137,000,000e126,000,000e121,000,000e120,000,000e
Talc and related materials, talc1,3861,3972,7953,8243,800e
e Estimated.
1 May be a byproduct of fluorspar production.
2 Estimated based on sales.
3 Excludes gypsum used in cement production.
4 A byproduct of fluorspar mining.
5 Produced entirely from imported bullion and includes the lead content of alloys.

 

References Cited 

  • Bide, T., Idoine, N.E., Evans, E., Raycraft, E.R., and Mankelow, J., 2025, United Kingdom minerals yearbook 2024—Sheet 10, number of mineral workings in the United Kingdom, by commodity: Keyworth, Nottingham, United Kingdom, British Geological Survey Open Report. (Accessed March 16, 2026, via https://webapps.bgs.ac.uk/services/ngdc/accessions/index.html?_ga=2.939…;
  • Goodin, R.C., 2026, Sand and gravel (industrial): U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, p. 164–165. 
  • Government of the United Kingdom, 2014, Minerals: London, England, Government of the United Kingdom, October 17. (Accessed April 2, 2026, at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/minerals.) 
  • MacGregor, JohnRyan, 2026a, Lime: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, p. 116–117. 
  • MacGregor, JohnRyan, 2026b, Salt: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, p. 160–161. 
  • Mudd, G., Josso, P., Shaw, R., Luce, A., Singh, N., Horn, S., Bide, T., Currie, D., Elliott, H. Grant, H. Halkes, R., Idoine, N., Mitchell, C., Watkins, I., Price, F., and Petavratzi, E., 2024, UK 2024 criticality assessment: Keyworth, Nottingham, United Kingdom, British Geological Survey Open Report OR/24/059, May 9, 309 p. (Accessed March 16, 2026, at https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/539735/1/OR24059.pdf.) 
  • Office for National Statistics, 2025a, Regional gross value added (balanced) by industry—All international territorial level (ITL) regions—Table 1c, ITL1 & UK current price estimates, pounds million: Newport, United Kingdom, Office for National Statistics, April 17. (Accessed March 16, 2026, via https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossvalueaddedgva/datasets/nominalandre….) 

 

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