M. Garside
Research lead covering energy, chemicals & resources
Global lead industry - statistics & facts
Lead is a chemical element that is characterized as a base post-transition metal. Australia held the world’s largest lead reserves, at some 35 million metric tons as of 2023, although China had the highest lead mine production of any country in the world that year, at 1.9 million metric tons. Prior to the recognition of lead’s toxicity in the late nineteenth century, lead was used in a variety of applications that it is no longer used for today due to health concerns. However, there are still many important end-uses for lead today, such as batteries, bullets, paints, alloys, and more.
Glencore, Doe Run, and Hindustan Zinc are the world's most major lead producing companies. However, the Swiss mining giant Glencore's lead production has been decreasing annually since 2019, down to 182,700 metric tons in 2023.
Lead prices, trade, and producers
In spite of its potential health effects, lead continues to be a valuable commodity. Aside from decreased prices during the commodities slump of 2015, and another during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the price of lead generally sits at around 2,000 U.S. dollars per metric ton, or around 115 U.S. dollars per pound in the North American market. Returns on lead investments fluctuate each year, and were positive in 2020 and 2021, before decreasing considerably to nearly negative 40 percent in 2023.Glencore, Doe Run, and Hindustan Zinc are the world's most major lead producing companies. However, the Swiss mining giant Glencore's lead production has been decreasing annually since 2019, down to 182,700 metric tons in 2023.
Lead recycling and secondary production
Like other metals, lead is recyclable. Not only does the secondary lead recycled from scrap reduce the necessity of mining new supplies of lead, it also ensures that scrap lead is less likely to cause negative health effects when it is discarded. In Asia, which is the leading refined lead producing region in the world, a 55 percent share of refined lead production in 2022 was from secondary sources. In the Americas, a 92 percent share of refined lead production was from secondary sources that year.
