Clay Market - Ukraine Supplied 26% of Its Total Kaolin Exports to Italy in 2014

Kaolin or kaolinite is a clay mineral. Rocks that are rich in kaolinite are known as kaolin or china clay. Kaolinite is a soft, earthy, usually white mineral (dioctahedral phyllosilicate clay). While in many parts of the world, it is colored pink-orange-red by iron oxide, giving it a distinct rust hue, lighter concentrations result in white, yellow or light orange colors. Commercial grades of kaolin are supplied and transported as dry powder, semi-dry noodle or as liquid slurry.

X% of the world's clay resources are located in Ukraine. Ukrainian clay is well-known for its high quality as well as being environmentally friendly, and is widely used today in the manufacturing of ceramic tiles and sanitary ware. Because of this, Ukraine has developed eight primary kaolin deposits and three secondary ones. The largest producers on the clay market are Hluhovetsky in Vinnitsa and Prosyanovsky in the Dnepropetrovsk region.

Prosyanovsky kaolin acquires its high-quality ceramic properties after enrichment. This baking process gives the clay a shard of white color, and is used in the manufacturing of ceramics such as porcelain and earthenware. Hluhovetsky clay is also used for these products. Volnovakha kaolin, used for the manufacture of refractory settlers, lags behind Prosyanovsky and Hluhovetsky.

Chasovyarsky clay is mined near Artemovsk. A valuable feature it possesses is its good ductility, and despite high refractoriness (X - X ° C), it begins to sinter and acquire strength at much lower temperatures. This property allows it to be useful for a wide variety of ceramic products. Druzhkovsky clay, extracted from several fields, is similar to Chasovyarsky clay.

Mastering the best explored deposits and pre-studied areas of primary kaolin in combination with the use of modern technologies and equipment for their enrichment, is one of the most promising directions in the development of the mineral resource industry in Ukraine.

In 2014, Italy (X%), Russia (X%) and Spain (X%) were the leading destinations of Ukranian clay shipments, together making up X% of Ukraine's clay exports in physical terms. While the share of Russia increased significantly, the share of Italy illustrated negative dynamics. The shares of the other countries remained relatively stable throughout the analyzed period.

In 2014, Germany and Turkey were the main suppliers of clays to Ukraine with a combined share of X% of Ukraine's imports. However, the fastest growing suppliers from 2007 to 2014 were Poland (+X% per year) and Germany (+X% per year). The import share was negligible, at X% in physical terms, and it did not exceed X% in retrospective. It was mainly kaoline clay that was imported from Turkey and Germany. This kind of clay is predominantly used for decorative purposes.

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Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform