SIC 1099 Miscellaneous Metal Ores, Not Elsewhere Classified

SIC 1099

This category covers establishments that are primarily engaged in mining, milling, and preparing miscellaneous metal ores. Production of metallic mercury by furnacing or retorting at the mine site is also included.

NAICS CODE(S)

212299

Other Metal Ore Mining

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

Metal ores included in this category include: aluminum, antimony, bastnasite, bauxite, beryl, beryllium, cerium, cinnabar, ilmenite, iridium, mercury, microlite, monazite, osmium, palladium, platinum, quicksilver, the rare-earth metals, rhodium, ruthenium, rutile, thorium, tin, titaniferous-magnetite (chiefly for titanium content), titanium, and zirconium. The actual mining of these ores declined for two decades beginning in the 1970s. Production fell by 10.7 percent through the mid-1990s. In addition, environmental pressure for stricter regulation on mining and recycling strained the mining of ores. In the early 2000s metals mining increased slightly, from 53.8 million short tons in 2001 to 57.6 million short tons in 2002, although the value of the mined ore failed to register an increase when adjusted for inflation. In fact, the value of mined metals fell from $6.51 billion to $6.38 billion between 2001 and 2002.

United States consumption of the miscellaneous metals overall exceeds production, especially for the platinum-group metals and tin. However, consumption of metals declined steadily throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, from 93.9 million short tons in 1997 to 72.2 million short tons in 2002. U.S. industry relies on imported product to satisfy its needs, and a trade deficit exists in these areas. Additionally, the U.S. government maintains a strategic stockpile of product, especially of import-dependent metals, that is crucial to the military and to the national security. The stockpile serves to sustain military reserves at adequate levels and creates a small, insulated metals market with limited fluctuation for certain producers. Specific metals in the U.S. government stockpiles include bauxite, titanium, platinum, and tin.

ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE

The production of miscellaneous metals is segregated into mining and metal refining according to respective metal product. Individual metal production is subdivided further into primary and secondary production. In the 2000s approximately 14 percent of mining firms in the industry additionally operated preparation plants. Virtually all of the total product output (99 percent) was from primary products. The industry's market structure grew more concentrated during the final decades of the twentieth century, and the number of metal mining establishments fell to under 125 by 2002, after achieving a dramatic peak of 236 in 1982.

In terms of geographic concentration, the largest number of firms mining miscellaneous metal ores is located in the Pacific region of the United States (California, Washington, and Oregon). The second greatest concentration was in the mountainous western region (Montana, Nevada, and Utah). California ranked first among the United States, with ten sites, followed by Montana with five, Arkansas with four, and Florida and Utah with two each.

The principal economic sectors or industries responsible for the purchase of miscellaneous metal ores are manufacturers of intermediate products for industrial use.

BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT

The mining of the miscellaneous metals is very much intertwined because multiple products are frequently extracted from the same ores; separation of the individual metal products occurs in the smelting process whereby reduction of the ores takes place.

Aluminum

Aluminum is the second most abundant metallic element in the earth'scrust after silicon. The use of aluminum exceeds that of any other metal except iron, and it is important in nearly all segments of the world economy. The United States is the leading producer of primary aluminum. Aluminum's prime use is in packaging, aerospace, and increasingly in construction. In addition, aluminum competes with other metals and plastics for an increased share of the automobile market. Aluminum experienced a boom in world demand in the early 1980s, then dropped suddenly on the world market until 1986. The industry rebounded after 1986, buoyed by increased applications of aluminum products, and grew by more than 32 percent from 1986 to 1992.

Antimony

Most production of antimony in the United States is the result of a byproduct or is a co-product of mining, smelting, and refining other metals and ores that contain small quantities of antimony. Foreign deposits far outweigh domestic deposits, and U.S. users of antimony depend on suppliers in Bolivia, China, Mexico, and South Africa. Antimony has a variety of manufacturing applications, but is mainly used in batteries.

Beryllium

Beryllium is important in industrial and defense applications and is known for its high strength, light weight, and high thermal...

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