BALL CLAY

Ball clays are fine-grained, sedimentary clays with high plasticity, composed primarily of kaolinite, mica and quartz. Ball clay is a rare type of clay found only in a few locations and valued for providing strength and malleability to ceramics prior to firing. Ball clays produce a cream-to-white-colored pottery once fired. Production During the past 30 years, U.S. ball clay production (the quantity sold or used by domestic producers) increased from a low of 854 kt in 1992 to an all-time high of 1.31 Mt in 2003. Housing construction, a leading market for ball clay-based ceramics and sanitaryware, decreased after 2005. That decrease resulted in lower sales of ball clay through the Great Recession, which lasted from late 2007 to mid-2009. Since then, ball clay production steadily increased through 2017, before decreasing in 2018 and 2019 and then slightly increasing in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, estimated U.S. domestic production of ball clay was unchanged at 1,200 kt from that in 2021. Six companies (Covia Holdings LLC, Gleason Clay Co., Imerys S.A., Lhoist Group, Old Hickory Clay Co. and U.S. Mine Corp.) mined ball clay in five states during 2022. Tennessee was the leading producer state of ball clay mined in the United States; the other states that produced ball clay were California, Indiana, Mississippi and Texas. Reliable data on global production of ball clay are not available because many countries combine ball clay production data with that of other clays. Consumption Ceramic floor and wall tile (52 percent of sales) and sanitaryware (19 percent of sales) were the leading domestic markets for ball clay in 2022. Ball clay also was sold for the manufacture of bricks, electrical porcelain, fine china, pottery, refractory products and roofing granules. Prices The estimated average unit value of ball clay was $58/t in 2022, unchanged from that in 2021. Prices at most of the individual U.S. ball clay operations in 2022 were estimated to range from $30/t to $110/t. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average unit value for exported ball clay increased by 6 percent to $237/t in 2022 compared with $224/t in 2021, and the average unit value for imported ball clay increased by 4 percent to $361/t in 2022 compared with $346/t in 2021. Average unit values for exports and imports fluctuate more than the average unit value of domestic production owing to the influence of small, high-value shipments. Widespread transportation challenges and increased costs in 2022 resulted in many producers increasing pricing for their products to offset their rising costs. Foreign trade According to the U.S. Census Bureau, ball clay exports increased to 165 kt valued at $25.1 million in 2022 compared with 139 kt valued at $30.8 million in 2021. Exports of ball clay in 2022 were primarily shipped to Mexico (82 percent), the Republic of Korea (4 percent) and Guatemala (3 percent). Ball clay imports decreased to 277 t valued at $100,000 in 2022 compared with 319 t valued at $110,000 in 2021. In 2022, imports originated primarily from the United Kingdom (58 percent) and Portugal (41 percent). Outlook Historical sales of ball clay typically correlate with construction activity. Recently, the housing market has been facing rising interest rates and interruptions in the building material supply chain that are increasing costs. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that single-family housing starts in January 2023 were 21 percent less than that of 2022 and 4.5 percent less than December 2022. The International Monetary Fund projects economic growth in the United States to slow to 1.4 percent from 2 percent in 2023. These indicators suggest a slowdown in the production of ball clay. References are available from the author.

BALL CLAY

Authored by:
Kristi J. Simmons

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To view the past issues of the UCA magazine you must be a member of SME/UCA.

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