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Beryllium

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Chemical details
- State at room conditions
- Solid
- Melting point
- 1,560 K (1,287 °C)
- Boiling point
- 2,744 K (2,471 °C)
- Density
- 1.85 g/cm³
- Common oxidation states
- +2
- Electronegativity (Pauling)
- 1.57
- Atomic radius
- 153 pm
- First ionization energy
- 9.323 eV
- Discovered
- 1798
Source: U.S. National Library of Medicine, PubChem, Periodic Table of Elements (element Beryllium) (current at retrieval)
On the USGS 2025 List of Critical Minerals. Figures: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 (data release, public domain). Estimates are USGS's; check the USGS chapter for notes. Each panel names its source; full citations are in the methodology source register.
Overview
The headline numbers: how much the U.S. depends on imports and how concentrated supply is.
How much does the U.S. import?
The U.S. exported more beryllium than it imported in 2025 (USGS: net exporter).
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Beryllium (February 2026)
Did you know?
Beryllium was first called "glucine", from the sweet taste of its compounds.
Checked against two independent sources. Verified 2026-10-26.
Sources: Wikipedia · Los Alamos National Laboratory periodic table (Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA)
How concentrated is supply?
90% of world production comes from three countries (United States, Brazil, China). Highly concentrated.
Thirds of the bar: under 33%, 33 to 65%, 66% and over. Our own rule of thumb, not a USGS rating.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Beryllium (February 2026)
Supply
Who produces it, where the reserves are, where U.S. imports come from, and how U.S. supply has moved.
Who has it, and who digs it?
Where it is produced, 2025
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| United States | 53% |
| Brazil | 19% |
| China | 18% |
| Nigeria | 9% |
| Mozambique | 1% |
| Madagascar | 0% |
Share of the world total as printed by USGS (rounded). Production and reserves are different things: reserves are what is economic to mine. Hover or focus a bar for its value, or switch to the table view.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Beryllium (February 2026)
Where U.S. imports come from
Choose a data set, then a view. A country keeps the same color in every chart on this page. Grey means other countries, or a country beyond the seven colors (always labeled). Hover or focus a mark for its value, or use the table view.
- Kazakhstan31%
- Latvia25%
- Japan19%
- Germany5%
- Other countries20%
| Country | Share of U.S. imports | Share of this chart |
|---|---|---|
| Kazakhstan | 31% | 31.0% |
| Latvia | 25% | 25.0% |
| Japan | 19% | 19.0% |
| Germany | 5% | 5.0% |
| Other countries | 20% | 20.0% |
Average share of U.S. imports of all forms, 2021–24, as printed by USGS (rounded, so shares may not sum to 100). Other countries are USGS's own grouping.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Beryllium (February 2026)
- China100% · $68K
| Country | U.S. imports, 2025 | Share of this chart |
|---|---|---|
| China | 100% · $68K | 100.0% |
U.S. general imports (customs value) in calendar 2025 under HS 8112.12; countries beyond the top six are grouped. The code can include goods beyond this mineral. The Shift view compares each country's share of 2025 with its share of Jan to Aug 2026 (shares of each period's total).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade API: U.S. imports by HS code and country (calendar 2025; Jan to Aug 2026) (data months 2025-12, 2026-08)
U.S. supply mix
metric tons, 2021 to 2025
Imports are before exports, so the stack is not the same as U.S. consumption.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Beryllium (February 2026)
Price
Price, annual average unit value, beryllium-copper master alloy, dollars per kilogram of contained beryllium
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Beryllium (February 2026)
Trade and tariffs
Tariff codes and the countries behind U.S. imports and exports.
Trade codes and tariffs
| HTS code | What it covers | Normal rate | Column 2 rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8112.12 | Beryllium: Unwrought; powders | 8.5% | 25% |
Rates from the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule (USITC, saved 2026-10-26). The normal rate is column 1 general; column 2 applies to countries without normal trade relations. A range means different products under the code have different rates. Section 232, Section 301, emergency tariffs and antidumping or countervailing duties are set in separate notices and are not shown. Look up any code at hts.usitc.gov. These are the main codes for this mineral, not a complete list.
Source: U.S. International Trade Commission, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, general and column 2 rates (edition current when saved)
U.S. trade by country
U.S. imports in 2025 by source country, code 8112.12
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| China | 100% · $68K |
U.S. exports in 2025 by destination, code 8112.12
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| France | 44% · $138K |
| Canada | 14% · $45K |
| Japan | 11% · $35K |
| Iraq | 8% · $27K |
| Korea, South | 8% · $26K |
| Singapore | 5% · $15K |
8112.12 Unwrought beryllium; beryllium powsers; nesoi
Top import sources China 100%
Top export destinations France 44%, Canada 14%, Japan 11%
U.S. Census Bureau International Trade API, saved 2026-10-26. Imports are general imports (customs value) and exports are total exports, in U.S. dollars. Duty collected is Census's calculated duty on imports for consumption. Figures cover every 10-digit product under the code, so they can include goods beyond this mineral, and the duty shown is not split into Section 232, Section 301 or antidumping duties. Bars show the largest code for each direction. Group rows such as the EU or OECD are left out so no country is counted twice.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade API: U.S. imports and exports by HS code and country (calendar 2025, and January to Aug 2026) (data months 2025-12, 2026-08)
Value chain and risk
Where in the chain the bottlenecks sit, and what other governments and sources say about supply risk.
Value chain: where the bottlenecks are
Mining
One Utah company mined bertrandite ore and turned it, with imported beryl, into beryllium hydroxide. (U.S. activity)
The source says
“One company in Utah mined bertrandite ore and converted it, along with imported beryl, into beryllium hydroxide.”
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Beryllium (PDF page 56) (2026-02)
Ore processing and primary recovery
U.S. beryllium ore is bertrandite mined at Spor Mountain, Utah, because the United States has very little beryl that can be economically hand sorted. (U.S. activity)
The source says
“An epithermal deposit in the Spor Mountain area in Utah is a large bertrandite resource, which is being mined.”
“The United States has very little beryl that can be economically hand sorted from pegmatite deposits.”
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Beryllium (PDF page 56) (2026-02)
Refining and separation
The hydroxide goes to a plant in Ohio that makes metal, oxide and beryllium-copper master alloy; a 2010 Defense Production Act partnership reestablished domestic beryllium metal production. (U.S. activity)
The source says
“where it was converted into metal, oxide, and downstream beryllium-copper master alloy”
“In 2010, under the Defense Production Act, Title III, a public-private partnership with the leading U.S. beryllium producer reestablished domestic production of beryllium metal.”
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Beryllium (PDF page 56) (2026-02)
Metal, alloy and chemical
Imports came from Kazakhstan (31%), Latvia (25%) and Japan (19%) in 2021-24. (partly U.S.)
The source says
“Kazakhstan, 31%; Latvia, 25%; Japan, 19%; Germany, 5%; and other, 20%.”
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Beryllium (PDF page 56) (2026-02)
Components and end use
About 29% of beryllium products went into consumer electronics and 24% into aerospace and defense. (U.S. role not stated)
The source says
“approximately 29% of beryllium products were used in consumer electronics, 24% in aerospace and defense applications”
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Beryllium (PDF page 56) (2026-02)
Recycling
Recycling may account for as much as 20% to 25% of beryllium consumption; the leading producer recovers about 40% of the beryllium in its alloy scrap. (U.S. activity)
The source says
“may account for as much as 20% to 25% of total beryllium consumption.”
“recovering approximately 40% of the beryllium content of the new and old beryllium alloy scrap.”
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Beryllium (PDF page 56) (2026-02)
Pilot. Summaries are ours, from official pages; each quoted passage is checked against the saved page. “Bottleneck” (orange dot) is shown only where the quote shows one country dominating the stage or the United States relying on imports for it. “No sourced data yet” means we have not found a source, not that the stage is unproblematic.
Mines, plants and partners
Named facilities with their operators and locations, as each source describes them on the date shown. 3 sourced entries for Beryllium.
Mining
Materion Corp.
Topaz-Spor Mountain region, Juab County, Utah, United States · Operating
The source says
“Materion converted bertrandite from open pit mines in the Topaz-Spor Mountain region of Juab County, UT, into beryllium hydroxide at its operations near Delta, UT.”
Source: USGS Minerals Yearbook 2022, Beryllium (advance release) (2025-07)
Ore processing and primary recovery
Materion Corp.
near Delta, Utah, United States · Operating
The source says
“Materion converted bertrandite from open pit mines in the Topaz-Spor Mountain region of Juab County, UT, into beryllium hydroxide at its operations near Delta, UT.”
Source: USGS Minerals Yearbook 2022, Beryllium (advance release) (2025-07)
Metal, alloy and chemical
Materion Corp.
Elmore, Ohio, United States · Operating
The source says
“invested in a public- private partnership with Materion Corp. (Mayfield Heights, OH) to build a primary beryllium facility in Elmore, OH.”
“Most of the beryllium hydroxide was shipped to Elmore, OH, where Materion converted it into beryllium-copper master alloy (BCMA), metal, or oxide.”
Source: USGS Minerals Yearbook 2022, Beryllium (advance release) (2025-07)
A curated list, not a complete register: it shows facilities we could confirm in a source page, and a missing name means we have not sourced it, not that it does not exist. Each quoted passage is checked against the saved page. Partnerships are listed only where the source states them.
Policy and funding
Federal items we track for this mineral, each linked to its original.
Policy timeline and funding
No tagged items for this mineral yet. Browse all items.
Data tables
The USGS figures behind the charts. Click a column heading to sort.
Beryllium: USGS tables
United States
| Measure | Unit | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net import reliance as a percentage of apparent consumption | percent | E | E |
| Production, mine shipments | metric tons | 230 | 230 |
| Imports for consumption | metric tons | 16 | 10 |
| Exports | metric tons | 26 | 15 |
| Shipments from Government stockpile | metric tons | NA | NA |
| Consumption: Apparent | metric tons | 220 | 230 |
| Consumption: Reported, ore | metric tons | 180 | 180 |
| Price, annual average unit value, beryllium-copper master alloy, dollars per kilogram of contained beryllium | dollars per kilogram | 1,500 | 1,600 |
| Stocks, ore, industry, yearend | metric tons | 10 | 10 |
World production (metric tons; top 6 of 7, plus other countries)
| Country | 2024 | 2025 | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 230 | 230 | 53% |
| Brazil | 80 | 80 | 19% |
| China | 78 | 77 | 18% |
| Nigeria | 40 | 40 | 9% |
| Mozambique | 3 | 3 | 1% |
| Madagascar | 1 | 1 | 0% |
World total 2025: 430 metric tons (as printed by USGS, rounded).
U.S. import sources: All (percent of imports, 2021–24)
| Country | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Kazakhstan | 31 |
| Latvia | 25 |
| Japan | 19 |
| Germany | 5 |
| Other countries | 20 |
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Beryllium (February 2026)