mineral · input
Colored ceramic-coated limestone or slate granules embedded in asphalt shingle surface; provide UV protection, fire resistance (Class A), and aesthetics; 3M and Minerals Technologies dominant US suppliers
3
Source countries
4
Companies
1
Goods affected
0
Claims on record
What depends on it
1 essential American goods rely on ceramic-coated mineral granules somewhere upstream in their supply chain.
Where it comes from
Share of global supply, by country.
| Country | Share of supply |
|---|---|
| USUnited States | 90% |
| CNChina | 5% |
| CACanada | 3% |
Who makes it
4 companies produce ceramic-coated mineral granules.
Leading US roofing granule mining and processing company; 100+ year history; 700 employees; supplies granules for 2.5M+ North American homes annually. Mines limestone and other minerals, applies ceramic coatings, and distributes to shingle manufacturers including GAF, Owens Corning, and CertainTeed. Owns PVL limestone operation.
3M Company (Maplewood MN; NYSE: MMM; ~$23B revenue after Health Care spinoff; ~$35B before) is the dominant US manufacturer of N95 respirators and is vertically integrated into meltblown polypropylene nonwoven production. 3M manufactures its own electret (electrostatically charged) meltblown filtration media at its Arden Hills, MN facility — a rare example of vertical integration in nonwovens. 3M's N95 respirators (1860, 8210, 8110S) use proprietary Filtrete electret media. During COVID-19, 3M doubled N95 production to ~2 billion respirators/year (from ~1B) but could not scale meltblown capacity fast enough to meet demand — the Arden Hills facility was the binding constraint. 3M also sells Filtrete HVAC filter media (MERV 11-13) made from the same meltblown technology, generating ~$700M/year in home filtration revenue alongside its respirator business.
Major producer of mineral granules for roofing applications; competes with 3M in ceramic-coated roofing granules; also produces specialty minerals, talc, and precipitated calcium carbonate
US roofing granule producer using coal and iron silicate slag (industrial byproduct from power generation and smelting) as the mineral base. Slag-based granules are cost-competitive with mined limestone granules and recycle an industrial waste stream.
