Canada has a limited amount of Barite production.
Barite is used in many industrial applications.
Approximately 77% of the total mined and milled barite worldwide is used as a weighting agent for drilling fluids in oil and gas exploration.
Some of the other applications include;
- filler in paints and plastics,
- brake pads for the automotive industry,
- chemical industry,
- vehicle floor mats,
- copper smelting,
- pharmaceutical markets
World Mine Production and Reserves
In the United States, identified resources of barite are estimated to be 150 million tons, and undiscovered resources contribute an additional 150 million tons. The world’s barite resources in all categories are about 2 billion tons, but only about 740 million tons is identified resources. However, no known systematic assessment of either U.S. or global barite resources has been conducted since the 1980s.