As India accelerates efforts to secure critical minerals for its energy transition and manufacturing goals, industry experts are flagging a potential blind spot: magnesite. While policy discussions have largely centred on battery-related minerals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel, stakeholders say minerals essential for high-temperature industrial processes remain outside the spotlight, despite their strategic importance.
According to Parmod Sagar, Chairman, Managing Director and CEO of RHI Magnesita India, magnesite underpins refractories used across steel, cement, glass and non-ferrous metal production. “Any production process involving extreme heat requires magnesite-based refractories,” Sagar says, arguing that the mineral is foundational not only for heavy industry but also for India’s expanding electric vehicle and energy-transition ecosystem.
Magnesite production is globally distributed, with key players in China, Turkey, Brazil, and Austria. China dominates the market due to its vast deposits and large-scale production facilities.
Official data show magnesite’s domestic relevance. The Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), in its Indian Minerals Yearbook 2022 – Magnesite, estimates India’s total magnesite resources at 459 million tonnes as of April 2020. Uttarakhand accounts for about 52 per cent of these resources, followed by Tamil Nadu at 34 per cent and Rajasthan at 12 per cent. Despite this resource base, production remains modest, with all-India output at 1,13,495 tonnes in 2021-22, led by Tamil Nadu, which contributed around 71 per cent of production. Though India has magnesite reserves, these are not refractory-grade magnesite, necessary for high-quality manufacturing and production processes.
India’s imports of magnesite (2023–2024) mainly originate from China, Turkey, and the EU, focus on fused and sintered magnesia with high MgO content, and serve the needs of the steel and refractory industries
Globally, in the period between June 2024 and May 2025, India was among the top three importers of Magnesite with 5,426 shipments.
Beyond traditional furnace applications, magnesite has growing relevance in nickel and cobalt hydrometallurgical processing, particularly high-pressure acid leach (HPAL) operations used to produce mixed hydroxide precipitate for batteries. With India’s EV market expanding, Sagar says magnesite has become integral to long-term industrial and energy security, even though it is not listed among officially designated critical minerals.
Recognition under NCMM
The launch of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) has created a framework to secure minerals considered vital for economic growth and strategic autonomy, covering exploration, processing and recycling. Industry representatives argue that magnesite aligns with these objectives.
“Refractories are the link that transforms raw minerals into finished industrial products. Without a stable magnesite supply, India’s heavy-industrial ecosystem remains vulnerable to disruptions,” Sagar says. Inclusion under NCMM, he adds, could strengthen supply-chain resilience and support import substitution.
At the operational level, refractories influence furnace life, energy efficiency and emissions. Even marginal improvements in refractory performance can translate into productivity gains and energy savings across large plants. “Refractories are invisible, but indispensable,” Sagar says. “Not a single tonne of steel, cement or glass can be produced without them.” Despite this role, the sector does not currently have a formal strategic status.
Sustainability and recycling
Environmental considerations are adding another layer to the debate. Magnesite-based refractories are hard to abate in the carbon-intensive industry. Technology and investments in R&D have brought at the forefront, recycling and reprocessing of spent refractories to minimise waste or landfill, and becoming a key lever. According to Sagar, even a 20 per cent recycling rate can proportionately reduce emissions while conserving natural resources and contribute to the circular economy goals.
As India pursues large-scale infrastructure and manufacturing targets, industry voices are urging policymakers to broaden the definition of strategic inputs. “Refractories transform minerals into process-critical solutions,” Sagar says. “Recognising magnesite as a critical mineral and refractories as a strategic industry will strengthen industrial resilience, improve competitiveness and ensure India’s growth rests on a stable, future-ready foundation.”