Top 5 Manganese Mining Companies & Manganese producing Countries

Further, manganese is a necessary component of steel. And according to the US Geological Survey’s (USGS) Mineral Resources Program, the US relies entirely on manganese imports. It has no domestic production capabilities. The steel industry consumes most of the 500,000 tonnes (1.1 billion pounds) of manganese in the United States annually. The USGS, acutely aware of this scenario and that just a few nations produce the majority of the world’s manganese (some of which are dangerous jurisdictions), has designated manganese as a “critical mineral.” A crucial mineral is both vital to the economy and vulnerable to supply disruptions. Therefore, it becomes essential for us to comprehend manganese-related subjects. So, continue reading to learn the below-mentioned subjects. 

Top Manganese Mining Companies

This section will talk about the largest manganese mining companies and the top manganese mining stocks which you can consider for investing 

Top Magnese Producing Nations 

Here we will make you matey with the countries producing the highest amount of manganese. 

So, without tinkering, let’s jump to the sections part by part. 

The USGS has also singled out manganese because of its growing role in developing technologies. After a significant fall due to COVID-19 lockdowns, manganese prices increased in 2021 due to demand, supply chain expenses, and bottlenecks. So far, in 2022, prices have remained stable. In the future, the metal will be heavily reliant on demand from China, which requires enormous quantities of electrolytic manganese to create steel for construction. As the green energy revolution develops, interest in manganese battery applications might be a beneficial drive in the future. With this important information, it is time to know about the manganese mining companies responsible for churning out manganese. 

The largest manganese mining companies that have some exposure to manganese incorporate: 

Assmang

Assmang is one of the manganese mining companies that was founded in 1935 and is based in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is involved in the extraction of manganese ore, iron ore, and chrome ores. The vast bulk of the company’s output is sold to the Far East, Europe, the United States, and India. African Rainbow Minerals and Assore share ownership of Assmang. 

Assmang’s manganese ore and alloys business segment handles mining, washing, ore crushing, and screening. It is also entailed in smelting ferromanganese materials and manufacturing refined ferromanganese. The company’s mines (Nchwaning and Gloria) are located in Black Rock, near Kuruman in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province. Further, to abbreviate, we can say that it comes under the list of top manganese mining stocks. 

BHP Billiton

BHP Billiton was formed in 1851 and is based in Melbourne, Australia— another manganese mining stock. Firms develop natural resources all around the world. It has projects in America, Australia, and all around the world. It is in charge of two iron ore mines in Brazil and one in Australia, as well as five copper mines in Peru, Australia, and Chile. Thus, it became one of the largest manganese mining companies. 

In addition, the firm owns a potash development project in Canada and has coal mines in Australia, Colombia, and the United States. Furthermore, it explores, produces, and markets oil and gas from properties in Australia, the United States, the Gulf of Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Pakistan.

Corporations carry out manganese mining activities in Australia and South Africa. It completed the demerger of its aluminum, coal, nickel, manganese, and silver-lead-zinc assets in May 2015. Consequently, it paved its way to become one of the top manganese mining stocks. 

South 32 Limited (ASX: S32)

South 32 is a multinational Australian firm (a BHP subsidiary) and one of the world’s major manganese producers. They mine alumina, bauxite, nickel, aluminum, silver, metallurgical coal, lead, manganese, and zinc. Hence, it is another manganese mining stock that you have come across. 

South 32 has activities in Australia (Groote Eylandt Mining Company and Tasmanian Electro Metallurgical Company) and South Africa for manganese ore and alloys (South Africa Manganese operations). South 32 produced 5,348k wmt of manganese ore and 163kt of manganese alloy in fiscal year 20. This implies that it is not just simple manganese mining stock but also one of the top manganese mining stocks. The current market capitalization is AUD 11.2 billion. The consensus price objective among analysts is AUD 2.71, reflecting an 18% increase.

Eramet (EPA: ERA)

The mining and metallurgical firm ERAMET was founded in 1880 and is located in Cedex, Paris, France. It creates alloys for a variety of markets. It also recycles and repurposes industrial waste materials. Through its subsidiary, COMILOG, the firm produces high-grade manganese ore. This opened the door to entering the list of manganese mining companies. It runs the Manganese Ore Mine in Moanda, Gabon. Its products incorporate high-grade manganese alloys, manganese ore, and manganese chemistry, including agrochemicals, recycling, batteries, and electronics.

COMILOG also sells directly to manganese users. The company produced 3 billion metric tons of manganese ore and sinter in FY2015. And this production made it fall into the log of the largest manganese mining companies. 

Vale (NYSE: VALE)

Vale was created in 1942 and is located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a multi-faceted mining and metals firm. The firm manufactures and sells iron ore, pellets, fertilizer, nickel, copper, manganese, ferroalloys, cobalt, coal, and platinum group metals. Thus, people recognized it as the manganese mining stock too. Through its ferrous minerals sector, the company manufactures manganese and ferroalloys.

Vale Manganese and Mineracao Corumbaense Reunida, a subsidiary of Vale, operates manganese mines and factories in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais, Para, and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also runs ferroalloy mills in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and Bahia. Approximately 90% of the manganese generated by the firm is utilized in the steel sector, as well as animal feed, automobiles, fertilizers, and food. It sells three kinds of manganese: 

• Metallurgical Ore
• Chemical Ore
• Natural Manganese Dioxide

These were the five largest manganese mining companies that made the list of top manganese mining companies. Further, we will make you near and dear to the leading nations producing manganese. 

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The five countries with the highest manganese production in 2021 are as follows. Unless otherwise noted, all statistics come from the latest US Geological Survey report on the metal.

South Africa

Mine production: 7.4 million MT

South Africa is by far the world’s most significant manganese producer. Its manganese output increased by about 1 million metric tonnes in 2021. (MT), which is a lot!. The country also has the most manganese reserves, with 640 million MT.

South32 (ASX: S32, LSE: S32, OTC Pink: SHTLF) is a key player in the manganese mining business in South Africa. It is one of the top manganese mining stocks in South Africa. The diverse miner also produces alumina, bauxite, thermal and metallurgical coal, and other valuable minerals. South Africa Manganese, one of the company’s four South African businesses, consists of Metalloys and Hotazel Manganese Mines. The Hotazel mine is situated in the manganese-rich Kalahari Basin, which has around 80% of the world’s known manganese ore deposits.

Gabon

Mine production: 3.6 million MT

Gabon, located on the African continent’s central-western coast, was the second greatest manganese producer in 2021. The coastal manganese-producing country was responsible for 3.6 million MT of manganese, slightly rising from 3.31 million MT the previous year. This is possible because this land holds the place of many largest manganese mining companies and mines. 

Moanda is the country’s most important manganese operation. The mine is operated by ERAMET (EPA: ERA, OTC Pink: ERMAY), the world’s second-largest manganese mining company. It produces high-grade manganese ore.

Australia

Mine output: 3.3 million MT

Manganese output in Australia was flat in 2021 compared to 2020. South32 is a significant producer of manganese in South Africa, but it also has an Australian manganese plant. Thus became one of the top manganese mining stocks. 

South32 is the world’s largest manganese mining company. It produces manganese ore and owns a 60% share in a manganese mine in the Northern Territory, which it manages through its subsidiary Groote Eylandt Mining Company (GEMCO). The open-pit manganese mine is one of the lowest-cost manganese ore producers in the world. Anglo American (LSE: AAL, OTCQX: AAUKF) owns the remaining 40% of the project. Thus, it became another manganese mining company. 

In addition to GEMCO, the miner owns Tasmanian Electro Metallurgical Company (TEMCO) and the TEMCO manganese alloy factory, which manufactures ferromanganese for steel production.

China

Mine output: 1.3 million MT

China was the fourth largest manganese producer in 2021, with 1.3 million MT produced, a little reduction from the 1.34 million MT produced in 2020. As previously said, the country is not only a producer of manganese ore but also a big user of the metal, as it consumes enormous amounts of the metal in steelmaking.

Several huge manganese reserves were said to have been discovered in Guizhou province in 2017 but have yet to be developed. They are not currently counted by the US Geological Survey, which estimates China’s total national manganese reserves to be 54 million MT, ranking it sixth globally.

Ukraine 

Mine output: 670,000 MT

Ukraine is the world’s fifth-largest manganese producer. In 2021, the country produced 670,000 MT of manganese, up approximately 100,000 MT from 2020. Like several other nations on the list, Ukraine is a major importer of manganese goods, particularly manganese ore.

With 140 million MT of manganese ore reserves, the nation is among the top five in the world. The Nikopol basin in the country has around one-third of the explored reserves. Ukraine also has considerable resources of coal, iron ore, and titanium. Russia’s war in Ukraine will indubitably affect the country’s capacity to produce in 2022.