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| TABLE 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| UNIT VALUE OF PRINCIPAL MINERAL PRODUCTS AND BYPRODUCTS OF SURFACE AND UNDERGROUND MINES IN THE UNITED STATES IN 20121 | |||||||||||||||||||
| (Dollars per metric ton) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Surface | Underground | All mines | |||||||||||||||||
| Principal | Principal | Principal | |||||||||||||||||
| mineral | mineral | mineral | |||||||||||||||||
| Commodity | product | Byproduct | Total | product | Byproduct | Total | product | Byproduct | Total | ||||||||||
| Metal ore: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Copper2 | 8.53 | W | 8.53 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | 8.53 | W | 8.53 | 3 | ||||||||
| Gold | 53.78 | W | 53.78 | 3 | W | W | W | 53.78 | W | 53.78 | 3, 4 | ||||||||
| Iron | 98.16 | 5 | -- | 98.16 | 5 | -- | -- | -- | 98.16 | 5 | -- | 98.16 | 5 | ||||||
| Average, metals6 | 42.11 | W | 42.11 | 3 | 212.07 | 51.64 | 263.71 | 44.64 | W | 44.64 | 3 | ||||||||
| Industrial minerals: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Clays | 59.70 | W | 59.70 | 3 | W | W | W | 59.70 | -- | 59.70 | 3, 4 | ||||||||
| Feldspar7 | 68.05 | -- | 68.05 | -- | -- | -- | 68.05 | -- | 68.05 | ||||||||||
| Gypsum | 7.69 | -- | 7.69 | W | -- | W | 7.69 | -- | 7.69 | 4 | |||||||||
| Phosphate rock | 102.54 | 8 | -- | 102.54 | 8 | -- | -- | -- | 102.54 | 8 | -- | 102.54 | 8 | ||||||
| Pumice9 | 27.97 | -- | 27.97 | -- | -- | -- | 27.97 | -- | 27.97 | ||||||||||
| Salt | W | -- | W | 37.41 | 5 | -- | 37.41 | 5 | 37.41 | 5, 10 | -- | 37.41 | 5, 10 | ||||||
| Sand and gravel: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | 7.65 | -- | 7.65 | -- | -- | -- | 7.65 | -- | 7.65 | ||||||||||
| Industrial | 52.80 | W | 52.80 | 3 | W | -- | W | 52.80 | 4 | W | 52.80 | 3, 4 | |||||||
| Soda ash | -- | -- | -- | 156.42 | -- | 156.42 | 156.42 | -- | 156.42 | ||||||||||
| Stone: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Crushed | 9.73 | -- | 9.73 | 9.73 | -- | 9.73 | 9.73 | -- | 9.73 | ||||||||||
| Dimension | 189.62 | W | 189.62 | 3 | W | -- | W | 189.62 | 4 | -- | 189.6 | 3, 4 | |||||||
| Talc | 33.25 | -- | 33.25 | -- | -- | -- | 33.25 | -- | 33.25 | ||||||||||
| Average, industrial minerals11 | 11.45 | 0.07 | 11.52 | 31.49 | -- | 31.49 | 12.51 | 0.07 | 12.58 | ||||||||||
| Average, industrial minerals, excluding | |||||||||||||||||||
| sand and gravel and stone11 | 18.94 | 0.21 | 19.15 | 62.85 | -- | 62.85 | 24.03 | 0.19 | 24.22 | ||||||||||
| Average, metals and industrial minerals6, 11 | 21.46 | 1.17 | 22.63 | 52.42 | 5.99 | 58.41 | 22.73 | 1.36 | 24.09 | ||||||||||
| Average, metals and industrial minerals, | |||||||||||||||||||
| excluding sand and gravel and stone6, 11 | 36.39 | 2.63 | 39.02 | 101.72 | 13.45 | 115.17 | 39.13 | 3.08 | 42.21 | ||||||||||
| W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data; included in appropriate -Average.-- -- Zero. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1Values calculated from unrounded data; may not add to totals shown because of independent rounding. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2Includes copper-molybdenum. With increased adoption of leaching technology, there may be less distinction between ore and waste. Significant tonnages of- | |||||||||||||||||||
| low-grade material, formerly classified as waste, are now considered to be low-grade leachable ore by some companies, resulting in a large shift in the ore-to- | |||||||||||||||||||
| waste ratios and a reduction in ore value. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3Value of principal mineral product only. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4Value of products at surface operations only. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 5Average value at mines only. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 6Includes beryllium, gold-silver, lead, magnesium metal, molybdenum, nickel ore, platinum and palladium, silver, titanium, zinc, zinc-lead, zinc-silver, and metals- | |||||||||||||||||||
| indicated by symbol W. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 7Includes aplite. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 8Average value based on the sold or used values. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 9Excludes volcanic cinder and scoria; included with -Stone: Crushed.- | |||||||||||||||||||
| 10Value of products at underground operations only. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 11Includes values of abrasives, barite, boron minerals, bromine, diatomite, garnet, greensand marl, iodine, iron oxide pigments, kyanite, lithium minerals, | |||||||||||||||||||
| magnesite, magnesium compounds, mica, olivine, perlite, potash, tripoli, vermiculite, wollastonite, zeolites, and industrial minerals indicated by symbol W. | |||||||||||||||||||
Source: United States Geological Survey Mineral Resources Program
See also: Mineral commodity prices
