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Potash
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What it is
Mined and manufactured potassium salts.
“salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form”
Source: Wikipedia contributors, Potash (composition line) (text as saved)
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?
of U.S. potash use was met by imports in 2025 (USGS net import reliance).
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Potash (February 2026)
Did you know?
Potassium metal was first made in 1807 by electrolysis of caustic potash (potassium hydroxide).
Checked against two independent sources. Verified 2026-10-26.
Sources: Wikipedia · Science History Institute (Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA)
How concentrated is supply?
64% of world production comes from three countries (Canada, Russia, China). 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: Potash (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 |
|---|---|
| Canada | 31% |
| Russia | 20% |
| China | 13% |
| Belarus | 12% |
| Germany | 6% |
| Laos | 5% |
Where the reserves are (Reserves, Recoverable ore)
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Canada | 44% |
| Belarus | 32% |
| United States | 9% |
| Brazil | 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: Potash (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.
- Canada79%
- Russia12%
- Israel3%
- Other countries6%
| Country | Share of U.S. imports | Share of this chart |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 79% | 79.0% |
| Russia | 12% | 12.0% |
| Israel | 3% | 3.0% |
| Other countries | 6% | 6.0% |
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: Potash (February 2026)
- Canada85% · $2.9B
- Russia9% · $309.8M
- Israel3% · $102.4M
- Germany2% · $51.7M
- Belgium0% · $12.6M
- United Kingdom0% · $7.9M
- All other countries1% · $19.0M
| Country | U.S. imports, 2025 | Share of this chart |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 85% · $2.9B | 85.2% |
| Russia | 9% · $309.8M | 9.1% |
| Israel | 3% · $102.4M | 3.0% |
| Germany | 2% · $51.7M | 1.5% |
| Belgium | 0% · $12.6M | 0.4% |
| United Kingdom | 0% · $7.9M | 0.2% |
| All other countries | 1% · $19.0M | 0.6% |
U.S. general imports (customs value) in calendar 2025 under HS 3104; 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)
Price
Price, average, f.o.b. mine, dollars per metric ton of K2O equivalent: All products
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Potash (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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3104 | Mineral or chemical fertilizers, potassic | Free | Free |
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 3104
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Canada | 85% · $2.9B |
| Russia | 9% · $309.8M |
| Israel | 3% · $102.4M |
| Germany | 2% · $51.7M |
| Belgium | 0% · $12.6M |
| United Kingdom | 0% · $7.9M |
U.S. exports in 2025 by destination, code 3104
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Brazil | 20% · $268.5M |
| China | 20% · $258.7M |
| Korea, South | 11% · $143.2M |
| Australia | 8% · $109.9M |
| Taiwan | 6% · $81.0M |
| Mexico | 5% · $64.9M |
3104 Mineral or chemical fertilizers, potassic
Top import sources Canada 85%, Russia 9%, Israel 3%
Top export destinations Brazil 20%, China 20%, Korea, South 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
Most U.S. potash comes from southeastern New Mexico (two underground mines and one solution mine); a Michigan company had a conditional $1.26 billion DOE loan commitment for a new mine. (U.S. activity)
The source says
“The majority of U.S. production was from southeastern New Mexico, where two companies operated two underground mines and one deep-well solution mine.”
“In January 2025, a Michigan-based company received a conditional commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy for a $1.26 billion loan to help finance the development of a new potash and salt mine in Osceola County, MI.”
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Potash (PDF page 150) (2026-02)
Ore processing and primary recovery
New Mexico sylvinite and langbeinite ores are beneficiated by flotation, recrystallization, heavy-media separation and solar evaporation. (U.S. activity)
The source says
“Sylvinite and langbeinite ores in New Mexico were beneficiated by flotation, dissolution-recrystallization, heavy-media separation, solar evaporation, and (or) combinations of these processes.”
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Potash (PDF page 150) (2026-02)
Refining and separation
No sourced data yet.
Metal, alloy and chemical bottleneck
Canada supplied 79% of U.S. potash imports in 2021-24. (partly U.S.)
The source says
“Import Sources (2021–24): Canada, 79%; Russia, 12%; Israel, 3%; and other, 6%.”
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Potash (PDF page 150) (2026-02)
Components and end use
The fertilizer industry used about 85% of U.S. potash sales. (U.S. role not stated)
The source says
“The fertilizer industry used about 85% of U.S. potash sales”
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Potash (PDF page 150) (2026-02)
Recycling
USGS lists potash recycling as none. (no U.S. activity)
The source says
“Recycling: None.”
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Potash (PDF page 150) (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.
Policy and funding
Federal items we track for this mineral, each linked to its original.
Federal awards already made
University of Oklahoma · Department of the Interior · $330K obligated · started 2026-03-01
Source: usaspending.gov, retrieved 2026-10-29
The 1 largest of 1 AI-tagged awards from USAspending (last 12 months, found by keyword; some are only loosely about this mineral). See all awards for Potash.
Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service, USAspending.gov: spending by award (contracts and grants, last 12 months) (award start dates per item)
Data tables
The USGS figures behind the charts. Click a column heading to sort.
Potash: USGS tables
United States
| Measure | Unit | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net import reliance as a percentage of apparent consumption | percent | 94 | 92 |
| Production, marketable | thousand metric tons | 410 | 500 |
| Sales by producers, marketable | thousand metric tons | 420 | 460 |
| Imports for consumption | thousand metric tons | 5,970 | 5,600 |
| Exports | thousand metric tons | 150 | 170 |
| Consumption, apparent | thousand metric tons | 6,200 | 5,900 |
| Price, average, f.o.b. mine, dollars per metric ton of K2O equivalent: All products | dollars per metric ton | 1,150 | 1,200 |
| Price, average, f.o.b. mine, dollars per metric ton of K2O equivalent: MOP | dollars per metric ton | 690 | 600 |
| Employment, mine and mill, number | number | 900 | 900 |
World production (thousand metric tons; top 6 of 12, plus other countries)
| Country | 2024 | 2025 | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 14,400 | 15,000 | 31% |
| Russia | 10,000 | 10,000 | 20% |
| China | 6,300 | 6,300 | 13% |
| Belarus | 5,000 | 6,000 | 12% |
| Germany | 2,500 | 3,000 | 6% |
| Laos | 2,400 | 2,400 | 5% |
| Other countries | 350 | 350 | 1% |
World total 2025: 49,000 thousand metric tons (as printed by USGS, rounded).
World reserves: Reserves, Recoverable ore (thousand metric tons; top 6 of 12, plus other countries)
| Country | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Canada | 4,500,000 |
| Belarus | 3,300,000 |
| United States | 970,000 |
| Brazil | 10,000 |
| Chile | NA |
| China | NA |
| Other countries | 1,500,000 |
World reserves: Reserves: K2O equivalent (thousand metric tons; top 6 of 12, plus other countries)
| Country | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Russia | 2,000,000 |
| Canada | 1,100,000 |
| Laos | 1,000,000 |
| Belarus | 750,000 |
| United States | 220,000 |
| China | 200,000 |
| Other countries | 300,000 |
U.S. import sources: All (percent of imports, 2021–24)
| Country | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Canada | 79 |
| Russia | 12 |
| Israel | 3 |
| Other countries | 6 |
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Potash (February 2026)