Zinc facts

Zinc is one of the world’s most widely used metals, valued for its corrosion resistance, particularly in the protection and manufacturing of steel products.

Learn more about zinc

Uses

The primary use of zinc is in the galvanizing process, which protects iron and steel from rusting. Zinc can also be alloyed with other metals and used for die-casting into shapes such as door handles, alloyed with copper to make brass, and alloyed with copper and tin to make bronze.

Brass fittings made with zinc are used across Canada in plumbing and heat exchange equipment.

Zinc can also be added to fertilizers to increase crop yields, made into zinc oxide (an ingredient in skin cream), and used in tire manufacturing.

Production

In 2024, mined zinc production in Canada increased 18% to 129,202 tonnes from 109,507 tonnes in 2023. Canadian mined zinc production has been generally decreasing over the past decade.

Data for Canada’s refined zinc metal production is unavailable after 2022 for confidentiality reasons but is estimated to be between 516,000 and 526,000 tonnes per year. Zinc metal is produced at refineries in British Columbia and Quebec. Refined zinc production is higher compared to mined production since concentrates are imported for processing, notably from Alaska to British Columbia.

Germanium and indium are also recovered as by-products from zinc refining in Canada.

Consult a map of producing Canadian mines

International context

World mine production of zinc totalled 12.0 million tonnes in 2024, a 1% decrease from the previous year. China was the largest producer, accounting for 4.0 million tonnes, or 33% of global output. Canada produced about 1% of the world’s mined zinc in 2024.

Global production of refined zinc was estimated at 13.7 million tonnes in 2024, a 2% decrease from 2023. While data for Canada was not available for 2023 or 2024, Canada accounted for 4.5% of global production in 2022.

World zinc reserves

The world’s zinc reserves were estimated at approximately 230 million tonnes in 2024, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Australia, China, Russia, Peru, and Mexico were among the nations with the largest zinc reserves.

Trade

Exports

• Canadian exports of zinc and zinc products were valued at $2.0 billion in 2024.
• In 2024, Canada exported 508,943 tonnes of zinc products, including ore concentrate, zinc oxide, unwrought zinc, and zinc metal products. This represents a 9% decrease from 2023.
• The United States was the primary destination, accounting for 91% of Canada’s zinc exports, while combined exports to Switzerland, Belgium, Taiwan, and Malaysia represented 7%.

Imports

• In 2024, Canada imported $1.3 billion worth of zinc products.
• Canadian smelters imported 460,132 tonnes of zinc concentrates in 2024, a 20% decrease from 2023.
• Zinc concentrates accounted for 83% of the value of Canada’s zinc imports.
• The United States was the leading source of zinc concentrates (52%), followed by Australia (17%), Peru (14%), Mexico (7%), and Bolivia (4%).

Prices

Average monthly zinc prices rose from US$2,777 per tonne in January 2024 to US$3,106 per tonne in April. Prices then declined to an annual low of US$2,622 per tonne in October and remained relatively stable for the rest of the year, ending at US$2,655 per tonne in December. Overall, the average annual price increased 6% compared with 2023.

Recycling

Zinc is 100% recyclable without any loss of its chemical or physical properties. Each year, about 20 million tonnes of zinc enter first use, of which 39% comes from recycled sources. Key sources of recycled zinc include scrap galvanized steel and zinc from batteries. Products such as galvanized steel have a long service life, which influences the volume of recyclable material available to the market in any given year.