Borates (Colemanite, Ulexite, Boric Acid & Borax Pentahydrate)

Ground and granular colemanite, ulexite, boric acid and borax pentahydrate sold on B₂O₃ content

Borates are bought on one number, boron oxide (B₂O₃) content, whether the product is a natural mineral under HS 2528.00 or a refined chemical under HS 2810.00 (boric acid) and HS 2840 (borax). Colemanite, a calcium borate (2CaO·3B₂O₃·5H₂O), is the fibreglass and ceramic-frit mineral because it brings boron without sodium; ulexite (NaCaB₅O₉·8H₂O) carries both and goes to insulation glass, ceramics, fertiliser and as feed for boric acid and borax plants. Refined boric acid is sold in granular and powder forms and in normal-, low- and ultra-low-sulphate variants for borosilicate, TFT-LCD and pharmaceutical glass, and borax pentahydrate is the detergent, enamel and agricultural workhorse. Türkiye holds about 73% of the world's known boron reserves, at Kırka (tincal), Emet, Bigadiç and Kestelek (colemanite and ulexite), and under Law No. 2840 the state enterprise Eti Maden alone mines, processes and markets Turkish boron, offering ground colemanite and ulexite at -45 and -75 micron, granular colemanite at 2–4 mm, boric acid, borax pentahydrate and decahydrate, anhydrous borax and boron oxide through its own sales companies. The United States is the other primary producer, and Bolivia, Argentina, Chile and Peru mine ulexite and colemanite in the Andes. Boric acid and the sodium borates are classified Repr. 1B (H360FD) in the EU and have sat on the REACH SVHC candidate list since 2010; REACH Annex XVII entry 30 restricts their sale to consumers at or above 5.5% boric acid, while industrial and professional supply continues with the labelling.

UN Comtrade 2024 export declarations put natural borates under HS 2528.00 at USD 416 million across the reporters in the pull, led by Türkiye (57.2%, 668,105 MT), Bolivia (23.8%, 375,887 MT), Argentina (6.5%), Austria (3.3%), Chile (2.3%), the Netherlands (2.1%) and Peru (0.9%), and boric acids and boron oxides under HS 2810.00 at USD 417 million, led by the United States (48.1%, 246,915 MT), Chile (19.8%, 100,545 MT), Peru (6.5%), the Netherlands (4.4%), Argentina (4.4%), China (2.4%), Türkiye (1.7%) and Bolivia (1.6%). A Turkish borate offer therefore comes from Eti Maden or one of its appointed distributors, and CBIL treats any other Turkish-origin offer as unverified until that chain is shown. CBIL is a commodity brokerage company and brokers borates between producers, their distributors and trader allocations on one side and fibreglass, glass, frit, ceramic, fertiliser and detergent plants on the other, in 25 kg bags and 1 MT jumbo bags in containers or bulk vessel lots for ground mineral, on FOB, CFR and CIF terms. Offers stand against a producer or SGS, Bureau Veritas or Intertek analysis of B₂O₃, moisture, sulphate, chloride, iron and sieve analysis, a certificate of origin and a safety data sheet with the EU classification stated. Price is negotiated per lot on B₂O₃ and grade. Send the product, the B₂O₃ content and sieve required and the discharge port, and the enquiry is screened and worked against it.

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Excluded origins are not offered, including product re-exported, blended or re-processed through a third country. Every lot moves with a certificate of origin naming the producing plant, mine or grower country, and nothing is quoted before the seller and loading point are known.