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Top 5 Chromium-producing Countries
China consumes the most chromium out of any nation on Earth. But which countries produce the most chromium? South Africa takes the lead by a long shot.
Chromium is a hard, brittle gray metal with both a high melting point and resistance to corrosion.
Those characteristics make it a key element in stainless steel production. In fact, chromium producers sell about 60 percent of their output to the steel industry. Interestingly, however, the steel industry consumes chromium somewhat indirectly in that making stainless steel requires ferrochrome, an alloy of chromium and iron that contains 50 to 70 percent chromium by weight. Essentially, chromium is used to produce ferrochrome, which is then used to make steel.
China is the world’s top chromium consumer, as well as the top stainless steel producer. However, the nation has no chromium production of its own. China also has limited choices in regards to chromium imports — the US Geological Survey’s most recent report on chromium shows only five countries produced the metal in 2023.
South Africa is home to the vast majority of the world’s chromite deposits and is the largest ferrochrome and chromite ore producer. Many countries depend on South Africa for chromium imports.
Here’s a brief overview of last year’s five top chromium-producing countries. All in all, global chromium production slipped by 900 MT year-on-year in 2023, reaching a total of 41 million metric tons (MT).
1. South Africa
Mine production: 18 million MT
South Africa produced 18 million MT of chromium in 2023. The country's output has risen significantly since 2020's 13.2 million MT, and it continues to beat out the rest of the world’s chromium producers by a wide margin.
Chromium production requires a lot of energy, which can be a problem in South Africa as electrical power supply is sometimes constrained in the country.
2. Turkey and Kazakhstan
Mine production: 6 million MT
In 2023, Turkey saw its production of chromium pick up 590,000 MT over the previous year's production, to tie with Kazakhstan for the second spot on this list.
Yildirim Group is a major player in the Turkish chromium industry through Eti Krom, which it acquired in 2004. Eti Krom is the world’s biggest hard lumpy marketable chrome ore producer, and it is the only chrome ore supplier in Turkey that can extract chromium throughout the entire year. Yildirim Group states that Eti Krom is the only high-carbon ferrochrome producer in Turkey.
Last year, Kazakhstan produced 6 million MT of chromium, which is consistent with its output for the past few years. Although Kazakhstan is not the number one chromium producer, the country ranks first in terms of global chromium reserves.
One major chromium operation in the country is the Vokshod mine and plant owned by Yildirim Group. Diversified miner Eurasian Resources Group is also a big presence in Kazakhstan’s chromium space. The company’s ferroalloys division includes Kazchrome, which in turn is made up of four operating divisions: the Donskoy ore-mining and processing plant, the Aktobe ferroalloys plant, the Aksu ferroalloys plant and the Kazmarganets mining enterprise.
3. India
Mine production: 4.2 million MT
India’s chromium production came in at 4.2 million MT in 2023, up 68 percent its 2020 output of 2.5 million MT. Little information is available on the Indian chromium space. In a past mineral commodity summary for chromium, the US Geological Survey states that chromium ferroalloys are produced at plants in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Odisha and West Bengal. The country holds the world's third largest chromium reserves at 79 million MT.
Tata Steel (NSE:TATASTEEL,BSE:500470) has a ferroalloys and minerals division that includes its brand Tata Tiscrome. India exported US$10.96 million worth of chromium ores and concentrates during 2022-2023 fiscal year, reported the Financial Times, with the majority taken in by China. In mid-2023, the Indian government set export restrictions on these products in an effort to shore up domestic supplies for its stainless steel industry.
4. Finland
Mine production: 2 million MT
Finland first made it onto the list of top chromium-producing countries in 2018, and last year its output hit 2 million MT, on par with the previous year.
Finland’s major chromium-producing operation is the Kemi mine, owned by global stainless steel manufacturer Outokumpu (FWB:OUTA). Work is currently underway to make Kemi the world's first carbon-neutral mine by 2025.
In contrast to South Africa, where the majority of chromite supply is exported to China, Finland’s chromite output has been integrated with domestic ferrochrome production. However, Finnish chromium production is still making its way to China and even India, accounting for 20 to 25 percent of Outokumpu’s ferrochrome output.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
- Industrial Metals Outlook Report ›
- Top 10 Aluminum-producing Countries ›
- Industrial Metals Investing News | INN ›
- Chromium: An Essential Metal | INN ›
- How to Invest in Chromium | INN ›
Melissa Pistilli has been reporting on the markets and educating investors since 2006. She has covered a wide variety of industries in the investment space including mining, cannabis, tech and pharmaceuticals. She helps to educate investors about opportunities in a variety of growth markets. Melissa holds a bachelor's degree in English education as well as a master's degree in the teaching of writing, both from Humboldt State University, California.
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Melissa Pistilli has been reporting on the markets and educating investors since 2006. She has covered a wide variety of industries in the investment space including mining, cannabis, tech and pharmaceuticals. She helps to educate investors about opportunities in a variety of growth markets. Melissa holds a bachelor's degree in English education as well as a master's degree in the teaching of writing, both from Humboldt State University, California.
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