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Beryllium

49.012183BeBeryllium[He]2s2Alkaline earth metal
A sample of beryllium
Photo: Alchemist-hp = Alchemist-hp ( pse-mendelejew.de ) · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photo Alchemist-hp = Alchemist-hp ( pse-mendelejew.de ). “Be-140g.jpg.” CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons. File page

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.

Net import reliance, 2025Net exportershare of U.S. use met by imports (USGS)Net import reliance: 2021 11%, 2022 7%
2021: 11%2022: 7%
Top producer, 2025United States53% of world production (USGS)
Top-three concentration90%of world production: United States, Brazil, China. Highly concentrated.
U.S. imports, 2025$68Kunder the main trade codes for this mineral (Census; can include other goods)
Policy and funding items0tracked for Beryllium; 0 federal awards already made

Overview

The headline numbers: how much the U.S. depends on imports and how concentrated supply is.

How much does the U.S. import?

Net exporter

The U.S. exported more beryllium than it imported in 2025 (USGS: net exporter).

Net import reliance: 2021 11%, 2022 7%
2021: 11%2022: 7%

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.

DiversifiedConcentratedHighly 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

United States53%
Brazil19%
China18%
Nigeria9%
Mozambique1%
Madagascar0%

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.

USGS sharesCensus dollars
Flow of All forms into the United StatesKazakhstan31%Latvia25%Japan19%Germany5%Other countries20%United Statesimports
Kazakhstan31%
Latvia25%
Japan19%
Germany5%
Other countries20%
Share of All forms by country31%Kazakhstan
  • Kazakhstan31%
  • Latvia25%
  • Japan19%
  • Germany5%
  • Other countries20%
CountryShare of U.S. importsShare of this chart
Kazakhstan31%31.0%
Latvia25%25.0%
Japan19%19.0%
Germany5%5.0%
Other countries20%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)

Flow of 8112.12 Unwrought beryllium;… into the United StatesChina100% · $68KUnited Statesimports
China100% · $68K
Share of 8112.12 Unwrought beryllium;… by country100%China
  • China100% · $68K
Change in import shares, Calendar 2025 to Jan to Aug 2026Calendar 2025Jan to Aug 2026China 100%100% China
CountryU.S. imports, 2025Share of this chart
China100% · $68K100.0%

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

2021: U.S. mine or primary production 175, Imports 49; 2022: U.S. mine or primary production 175, Imports 39; 2023: U.S. mine or primary production 185, Imports 25; 2024: U.S. mine or primary production 230, Imports 16; 2025: U.S. mine or primary production 230, Imports 10 (metric tons)U.S. mine or primary production 2021: 175 metric tonsImports 2021: 49 metric tons2021U.S. mine or primary production 2022: 175 metric tonsImports 2022: 39 metric tons2022U.S. mine or primary production 2023: 185 metric tonsImports 2023: 25 metric tons2023U.S. mine or primary production 2024: 230 metric tonsImports 2024: 16 metric tons2024U.S. mine or primary production 2025: 230 metric tonsImports 2025: 10 metric tons2025
U.S. mine or primary productionImports

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

Price, annual average unit value, beryllium-copper master alloy, dollars per kilogram of contained beryllium: 2021 680, 2022 660, 2023 1,400, 2024 1,500, 2025 1,6002021680202266020231,40020241,50020251,600

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 codeWhat it coversNormal rateColumn 2 rate
8112.12Beryllium: Unwrought; powders8.5%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

China100% · $68K

U.S. exports in 2025 by destination, code 8112.12

France44% · $138K
Canada14% · $45K
Japan11% · $35K
Iraq8% · $27K
Korea, South8% · $26K
Singapore5% · $15K

8112.12 Unwrought beryllium; beryllium powsers; nesoi

Imports 2025$67,705
Exports 2025$316,017
Duty collected 2025$42,207
Imports Jan to Aug 2026$12,590

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

Spor Mountain (Topaz-Spor Mountain) bertrandite open pit mines mine
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 Delta beryllium hydroxide operations processing plant
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 Elmore primary beryllium facility processing plant
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

MeasureUnit20242025
Net import reliance as a percentage of apparent consumptionpercentEE
Production, mine shipmentsmetric tons230230
Imports for consumptionmetric tons1610
Exportsmetric tons2615
Shipments from Government stockpilemetric tonsNANA
Consumption: Apparentmetric tons220230
Consumption: Reported, oremetric tons180180
Price, annual average unit value, beryllium-copper master alloy, dollars per kilogram of contained berylliumdollars per kilogram1,5001,600
Stocks, ore, industry, yearendmetric tons1010

World production (metric tons; top 6 of 7, plus other countries)

Country20242025Share
United States23023053%
Brazil808019%
China787718%
Nigeria40409%
Mozambique331%
Madagascar110%

World total 2025: 430 metric tons (as printed by USGS, rounded).

U.S. import sources: All (percent of imports, 2021–24)

CountryShare (%)
Kazakhstan31
Latvia25
Japan19
Germany5
Other countries20

Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Beryllium (February 2026)