Where is tungsten mined? The short answer
Most of the world's tungsten is mined in China, which produced about 67,000 of the world's 85,000 tonnes in 2025, around 79%, according to the USGS. The other significant producers are Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Russia, North Korea, Bolivia, Rwanda and Australia, with smaller output from Austria, Spain, Portugal and others.
Outside China, mine production rose about 20% in 2025 to around 18,000 tonnes, mostly because of Kazakhstan's new Boguty mine. In 2026, South Korea and the UK returned to tungsten production.
Tungsten production by country (2025)
| Rank | Country | Mine production 2025 (tonnes of tungsten) | Share of world |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 67,000 | ~79% |
| 2 | Vietnam | 3,000 | ~3.5% |
| 3 | Kazakhstan | 2,400 | ~2.8% |
| 4 | Russia | 2,000 | ~2.4% |
| 4 | North Korea | 2,000 | ~2.4% |
| 6 | Bolivia | 1,700 | ~2.0% |
| 7 | Rwanda | 1,300 | ~1.5% |
| 8 | Australia | 1,000 | ~1.2% |
| 9 | Austria | 840 | ~1.0% |
| 10 | Spain | 800 | ~0.9% |
| 11 | Portugal | 700 | ~0.8% |
| — | Other countries | 2,400 | ~2.8% |
| World | ~85,000 | 100% |
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 (estimates). Shares are our calculation.
China's lead is even larger in processing. China produces about 85% of the world's APT (ammonium paratungstate), the intermediate most tungsten products are made from, according to S&P Global.
Tungsten reserves by country
World tungsten reserves exceed 4.7 million tonnes, according to the USGS. China holds about 2.5 million tonnes (53%), and Australia has about 570,000 tonnes. China's reserves are large, but its ore grades have fallen from about 0.42% to 0.27% WO₃ over two decades, according to the China Tungsten Industry Association.
Reserves are only part of the picture. Large deposits in Canada, Kazakhstan, the US and Europe have resources but no mine yet, or are being restarted.
Where tungsten is mined in China
China's tungsten mining is controlled by state quotas. In 2025, the first-batch quota was 58,000 tonnes of 65% concentrate, with Jiangxi province receiving about 21,300 tonnes, Hunan about 15,530 tonnes and Henan about 7,050 tonnes (China Tungsten Industry Association, via mineral.watch). The city of Ganzhou in southern Jiangxi calls itself the "tungsten capital of the world."
China also buys ore abroad. Tungsten ore became China's second-largest import from North Korea in early 2026, according to Reuters as cited by the Centre for Mineral Resources.
The largest tungsten mines and regions outside China
| Country | Mine or project | Status (late 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | Nui Phao (Masan High-Tech Materials) | Producing; output fell about 9% in 2025 |
| Kazakhstan | Boguty (Jiaxin International) | Producing since April 2025; world's largest open-pit tungsten mine by resources, per the company |
| South Korea | Sangdong (Almonty) | Commercial production from September 2026 |
| South Korea | Ssangjon (Pure Tungsten) | Restart; production targeted for Q4 2026 |
| Rwanda | Nyakabingo (Trinity Metals) | Producing; Africa's largest tungsten mine |
| Australia | Mt Carbine (EQ Resources) | Producing |
| Austria | Mittersill (Wolfram Bergbau) | Producing; about 25–30% of European tungsten ore |
| Portugal | Panasqueira (Almonty) | Producing |
| Spain | Barruecopardo (EQ Resources) | Producing |
| Spain | El Moto (Abenójar Tungsten) | Under construction; production targeted Q1 2029 |
| UK | Hemerdon (Tungsten West) | Processing began Sept 2026; ramping up |
| Tajikistan | Maykhura (Pure Tungsten with TALCO) | Past-producing; JORC report expected Q1 2027 |
| Canada | Mactung (Fireweed) and Sisson (Northcliff) | Development |
For the companies behind these mines, see our guides to tungsten stocks and tungsten mining companies.
Are there tungsten mines in the US?
The US has tungsten deposits but no commercial tungsten mine production since 2015, according to the USGS. Low-priced Chinese supply made US mines uneconomic. The US instead relies on imports, recycled scrap and seven companies that convert tungsten materials into products. Between 2021 and 2024, US tungsten imports came mainly from China (26%), Germany (14%), Bolivia (8%) and Vietnam (8%).
US projects being redeveloped include:
- Pilot Mountain, Nevada (Guardian Metal Resources), with first production targeted for late 2028
- Tempiute (Emerson mine), Nevada (Guardian Metal Resources), once among the largest US tungsten producers, operated by Union Carbide from 1977 to 1987
- IMA Mine, Idaho (American Tungsten), which produced tungsten until 1957
The US government has funded tungsten projects through Defense Production Act Title III awards, including in Nevada. In October 2025, a Kazakhstan–US tungsten joint venture was also announced.
What minerals is tungsten mined from?
Tungsten is an element, not a mineral. It is mined from two main ore minerals:
- Wolframite ((Fe,Mn)WO₄), an iron-manganese tungstate, common in quartz-vein deposits
- Scheelite (CaWO₄), a calcium tungstate, common in skarn deposits, which fluoresces bright blue under ultraviolet light
Ore is crushed, ground and concentrated, usually by gravity separation and flotation, to make tungsten concentrate of about 65% WO₃. Concentrate is then refined into APT, and from there into oxides, powders, tungsten carbide and metal. Our guide to what tungsten is used for explains where it ends up.
Why it matters where tungsten is mined
- Export controls. Since February 2025, China has required licences for exports of key tungsten products (see China's tungsten export controls).
- Defence sourcing rules. From 1 January 2027, US defence contracts must exclude tungsten mined, refined or produced in China, Russia, North Korea or Iran. Those four countries together mined about 71,000 tonnes, roughly 84% of the world's tungsten, in 2025 (see the DFARS rule).
- Price. Tungsten from outside China sells at a large premium to Chinese domestic prices. See the tungsten price guide.
That leaves a small group of producing countries, including South Korea, Australia, Rwanda, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Bolivia and the Iberian Peninsula, to supply Western defence and industry.
Pure Tungsten Inc. is restarting the Ssangjon mine in South Korea, with a fully built mill and production targeted for Q4 2026, and advancing Maykhura in Tajikistan, which has about 2 million tonnes at 0.93% WO₃. To learn about the projects and the pre-IPO round, request the Pure Tungsten investor pack.