China adds high-purity quartz to official list of mineral types
2025-04-11 16:15:49 [Print]
China's Ministry of Natural Resources recently announced that high-purity quartz has been officially identified as the country's 174th mineral type.
High-purity quartz, the newly recognized mineral type, refers to rock that, under current technological and economic conditions, can be processed and purified to produce quartz sand with a silicon dioxide (SiO2) purity of at least 99.995% (4N5). The impurity levels, inclusions, and particle size must meet the stringent requirements for use in high-tech industries such as semiconductors, photovoltaics, and optics.
High-purity quartz is essential for advanced industries like semiconductors and solar energy. However, global reserves are unevenly distributed, and China relies heavily on imports. Multiple deposits have recently been discovered in provinces such as Henan, Xinjiang, and Anhui. Officially recognizing this new mineral type is a significant step toward localizing resource supply chains for high-purity quartz and safeguarding the security of China's high-tech industrial and supply chains.
High-purity quartz, the newly recognized mineral type, refers to rock that, under current technological and economic conditions, can be processed and purified to produce quartz sand with a silicon dioxide (SiO2) purity of at least 99.995% (4N5). The impurity levels, inclusions, and particle size must meet the stringent requirements for use in high-tech industries such as semiconductors, photovoltaics, and optics.
High-purity quartz is essential for advanced industries like semiconductors and solar energy. However, global reserves are unevenly distributed, and China relies heavily on imports. Multiple deposits have recently been discovered in provinces such as Henan, Xinjiang, and Anhui. Officially recognizing this new mineral type is a significant step toward localizing resource supply chains for high-purity quartz and safeguarding the security of China's high-tech industrial and supply chains.
Silicon Metal 3-3-03 Delivered China
Unit:RMB/mt
China silicon metal producers' output statistics by province by month
Unit: mt
