mineral · input
Essential oxide component (~10% of borosilicate glass composition) that gives the glass its thermal shock resistance and hydrolytic stability required for injectable drug containers. Derived from borate minerals controlled overwhelmingly by Turkey.
3
Source countries
2
Companies
1
Goods affected
0
Claims on record
What depends on it
1 essential American goods rely on boron trioxide (b₂o₃) somewhere upstream in their supply chain.
Where it comes from
Share of global supply, by country.
| Country | Share of supply |
|---|---|
| TRTurkey | 73% |
| USUnited States | 14% |
| RURussia | 5% |
Who makes it
2 companies produce boron trioxide (b₂o₃).
Turkish state-owned enterprise (est. 1935) — the world's largest boron producer and exporter. Controls approximately 70% of global boron mineral reserves. Supplies boron compounds (including B₂O₃ feedstock) to pharmaceutical glass manufacturers globally. EU quality standards certified.
American borate mining operation (Boron, Kern County, California; Rio Tinto subsidiary since 1968 acquisition of US Borax, itself founded 1872); the world's largest open-pit borax mine, located in the Mojave Desert of California. The Boron mine — locally known as the '20 Mule Team Borax' mine after the historical method of transporting borax from the Mojave — has been continuously operating since 1872, making it one of the oldest mining operations in California. Rio Tinto Boron is the second-largest global boron producer after Turkey's Eti Maden, producing refined boric acid, anhydrous borax, and B2O3 from deposits that underlie the California desert. The town of Boron, California (population ~2,500) exists primarily as the community built to house the mine's workforce. US Borax was the company behind the Borax household cleaning brand ('20 Mule Team Borax' cleaner) — the same California desert mining company whose product whitened Victorian-era laundry also supplies the boron that makes pharmaceutical vials thermally stable.
