Zinc facts

Zinc is mined, refined, and recycled for commercial use in Canada. Beyond its many applications, zinc is also an essential nutrient in the human body.

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 2022, mined zinc production in Canada decreased 22% to 180,256 tonnes from 230,187 tonnes in 2021. Canadian mined zinc production has been generally decreasing since 2013, and while 2023 mined zinc production figures are suppressed by the source, production has likely declined compared to the previous year.

Estimated refined zinc metal production decreased by 6% to 599,899 tonnes in 2022 compared to 640,718 tonnes in 2021. 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 was 12.0 million tonnes in 2023, which is a 3% increase from the previous year. China was the largest producer of zinc with 4.0 million tonnes or 33% of the global total. Data for Canada was not available for 2023; however, Canada ranked ninth in 2022, accounting for nearly 2% of the global total.

Global production of refined zinc was estimated at 13.5 million tonnes in 2022, a 5% decrease from 14.1 million tonnes in 2021. Canada accounted for 4% of global production in 2022.

World zinc reserves

The world’s zinc reserves were estimated at approximately 224 million tonnes in 2023, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Australia, China, Russia, Mexico, and Peru were among the nations with the largest zinc reserves.

Trade

Exports

• Canadian exports of zinc and zinc products in 2023 were valued at $2.1 billion.
• In 2023, Canada exported 562,365 tonnes of zinc products, including ore concentrate, zinc oxide, unwrought zinc, and zinc metal products. This represents a 4% increase over 2022.
• Zinc products were exported primarily to the United States (88%), while combined exports to South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Malaysia made up 9%.

Imports

• In 2023, zinc products imported to Canada were valued at $1.2 billion.
• Canadian smelters imported 577,085 tonnes of zinc in concentrates in 2023, down 4% from 2022.
• Zinc concentrates accounted for 81% of the value of Canada’s zinc imports.
• Concentrates were imported mainly from the United States (53%), followed by Peru (14%), Australia (9%), Mexico (7%), and Bolivia (6%).

Prices

Average monthly zinc prices were higher in the early months of 2023 before falling in the latter half of the year and staying low. The average monthly price was US$3,310 per tonne in January, slowly decreasing to US$2,375 in June before slightly increasing to US$2,502 in December, representing a 24% drop in price over the year.

Recycling

Approximately 34% of worldwide zinc production originates from recycled or secondary zinc. Each year, approximately 20 million tons of zinc enter first use, 39% of which is recycled content. Sources of recycled zinc include scrap galvanized steel and the zinc contained in batteries. Products such as galvanized steel have a long service life, which affects the amount of recyclable material available to the marketplace in any given year.