Clays
Statistics and Information

Six types of clays are mined in the United States:   ball clay, bentonite, common clay, fire clay, fuller's earth, and kaolin.  Mineral composition, plasticity, color, absorption qualities, firing characteristics, and clarification properties are a few of the characteristics used to distinguish between the different clay types.   Major domestic markets for these clays are as follows:   sanitaryware and ceramic tile for ball clays; absorbents, drilling mud, foundry sand bonding agent, and iron ore pelletizing for bentonite; brick, lightweight aggregate, and portland cement clinker for common clay and shale; refractories for fire clay; absorbents for fuller's earth; and paper and refractory markets for kaolin.

Publications

If you are interested in receiving an email notice when a publication is added to this page, please refer to Minerals Information List Services.

Annual Publications

Mineral Commodity Summaries

• Clays
    PDF Format:
       | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |2013 |
• Appendixes

Minerals Yearbook

• Clay and Shale
    PDF Format:
       | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
    XLS Format:
       | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
• Archive
       | 1932-1993 |

Special Publications

• Historical Statistics for Mineral and Material Commodities in the United States
  Data Series 140
  • Clays
• Statistical Compendium
  • Clays
• USGS Information Handout
  • Environmental Characteristics of Clays and Clay Mineral Deposits
    September 1999

Other Sources of Information

• References on Bentonite (PDF)
• References on Ball Clay (PDF)
• References on Fullers Earth (PDF)
• References on Kaolin (PDF)

Contact

• USGS Mineral Commodity Specialist
  Robert L. Virta
  Phone: 703-648-7726
  Fax: 703-648-7757
  Email: rvirta@usgs.gov
  

Links

• Clay Minerals Society