Texas Minerals Industry

Minerals Industry Report for Texas View/Print/Download the complete report in PDF format In 2007, Texas nonfuel raw mineral production was valued at $3.24 billion, based upon annual U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data. This was a 7.6% increase from the State’s total nonfuel mineral value of $3.01 billion for 2006, which followed a $298 million, or 11%, increase from 2005 to 2006. For the second consecutive year, Texas ranked seventh among the 50 States in total nonfuel mineral production value, accounting for 4.7% of the U.S. total value. The top three nonfuel mineral commodity values in 2007 were, in descending order of value, portland cement, crushed stone, and construction sand and gravel. These three mineral commodities accounted for 83% the total nonfuel mineral industry value. Portland cement alone accounted for nearly 33% of the State’s total value. Texas was the Nation’s leading producer of portland cement and crushed stone and the second leading producer of construction sand and gravel. These three major construction nonfuel mineral values together with those of salt and lime accounted for 91% of the State’s total nonfuel mineral value.  Almost all of the State’s nonfuel mineral commodities increased in total production value in 2007. The largest increases took place in crushed stone, industrial sand and gravel, and construction sand and gravel, with increases of $118 million, $57.1 million, and $47.7 million, respectively. The large increase in crushed stone value comprised a 13.9% increase from 2006 values and a 3.9% increase in quantity produced. The value of industrial sand and gravel increased by 87.1%, with production quantities more than doubling, in response to the nationwide increased demand for use in ceramics, chemicals, container, flat and specialty glass, fillers (ground and whole-grain), filtration, hydraulic fracturing, and recreational uses. Though construction sand and gravel value increased substantially, production decreased slightly (4.2%), perhaps owing to its continued replacement by crushed stone as the predominant choice for construction aggregate use. Other significant increases in value took place in salt, up by $11.2 million with a 6.5% decrease in production; Grade–A helium, up by more than $4 million; and lime, up $2.4 million with a slight decrease in production. Smaller rises in commodity value of $1 million or more, in descending order of change, took place in brucite, masonry cement, and dimension stone. Despite Texas’ overall increase in raw nonfuel mineral value, decreases took place in the value of several minerals. The greatest decrease took place in portland cement, a $10 million decrease in value and a 3.8% decline in production. Also, crude gypsum and talc decreased in value by more than $2 million each. The production and resultant values of ball clays, bentonite clays, and common clays decreased slightly as well (table 1).  In 2007, Texas remained the leading producer in the United States of crushed stone, brucite, and portland cement, accounting for nearly 12% of the Nation’s portland cement and 9% of its crushed stone. Texas remained second in the production of construction sand and gravel, salt (accounting for nearly 20% of the U.S. total), crude helium (of two–producing States), ball clay, crude talc, and zeolites (listed in descending order of value); third in Grade–A helium; fifth in lime; and sixth in kaolin clay, crude gypsum, and bentonite clay. The State rose in rank to second from seventh in the production of industrial sand and gravel, to sixth from seventh in masonry cement, and to eighth from 12th in dimension stone. Texas also decreased in rank from first to second in the production of common clay and from 10th to 11th in fuller’s earth clay production.  Texas’ metal industry remained strong, producing aluminum, raw steel, and refined copper. The State maintained its position as the leading producer of electrolytically refined copper and decreased in rank from third to fourth in the production of aluminum. Production of raw steel increased by more than 10% with an output of 4.17 million metric tons (Mt), up 7.7% from that in 2006 (American Iron and Steel Institute, 2007, p. 126).