Kaolin

Fifteen companies mined kaolin in nine states in 2011. Production, on the basis of preliminary data, was estimated to be 5.48 Mt (6.04 million st) valued at $822 million, an increase from 5.42 Mt (5.97 million st) valued at $788 million in 2010. Production in Georgia, the top producing state, increased to an estimated 5.1 Mt (5.62 million st) valued at $790 million in 2011 from 5.05 Mt (5.57 million st) valued at $757 million in 2010. Georgia accounted for 93 percent of U.S. production tonnage and nearly the entire domestic water-washed, delaminated and pigment-grade calcined kaolin production.