Silica Sand & Quartz (Glass, Foundry, Frac, High-Purity)

Glass, foundry and frac sand and quartz, bought on SiO₂, iron and grain size

Industrial silica is one mineral sold into four different specifications. Glass sand (HS 2505.10) is bought on iron, because sand makes up 70–75% of a soda-lime batch and its iron sets the colour of the glass: clear float glass generally needs Fe₂O₃ below 0.03%, low-iron and solar glass below 0.015%, and clear container glass accepts about 0.03–0.05%, with SiO₂ of 98% or more for flat glass and 95% or more for containers. Foundry sand is bought on grain size and cleanliness: most ferrous casting runs at an AFS grain fineness number of 50–70, large castings at 40–60 for permeability, with clay held to roughly 1–3% for moulding sand. Frac sand for hydraulic fracturing is tested to API RP 19C: sizes such as 20/40, 30/50, 40/70 and 70/140 mesh, sphericity and roundness of 0.6 or better, acid solubility of 2.0% maximum for 6/12 to 30/50 and 3.0% for 40/70 to 70/140, and crush resistance measured at a stated stress. High-purity quartz (HS 2506.10), above 99.99% SiO₂ with impurities in parts per million, is a separate market for semiconductor crucibles, solar and optical fibre, supplied largely from Spruce Pine in North Carolina. Moisture is stated on the analysis; dried sand ships in bags, damp washed sand in bulk.

The 2024 export declarations put HS 2505.10 at USD 1.60 billion across the reporters in the pull, led by the USA (55.1%, 7.67 million MT), Belgium (5.4%), Germany (5.1%), the Netherlands (3.6%), Saudi Arabia (3.4%), Indonesia (3.3%), Malaysia (3.2%) and Egypt (1.7%); HS 2506.10 quartz was USD 666 million, led by India (25.9%), China (20.8%), the USA (13.9%) and Norway (12.1%). Sand is also one of the most export-restricted minerals in Southeast Asia: Malaysia has banned sea-sand exports since 2019, with river sand needing an approved permit; Indonesia removed the legal basis for sea-sand exports in Ministerial Regulation No. 6/2026 of March 2026; Cambodia announced a ban on sand exports in 2017; and Viet Nam restricted white silica sand exports in 2017. Offers from those origins are checked against the current rule for the exact sand type before they are worked. CBIL is a commodity brokerage company and brokers silica sand and quartz between quarries, processors and trader allocations on one side and glass plants, foundries, well-service companies, filtration and construction-chemicals buyers on the other, in bulk vessel lots, 25 kg bags or 1–1.5 MT jumbo bags in containers, on FOB, CFR and CIF terms. Offers stand against an SGS, Bureau Veritas or Intertek analysis of SiO₂, Fe₂O₃, Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ with sieve analysis, AFS number or API RP 19C results as the grade requires, a certificate of origin, a safety data sheet covering respirable crystalline silica, and any export permit the origin requires. Price is negotiated per cargo on grade and freight. Send the end use, the iron ceiling, the size and the discharge port, and the enquiry is screened and worked against it. Saudi sand that loads on the Gulf coast is not moving normally while the Strait of Hormuz is restricted, as it has been since 28 February 2026.

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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.