TUNGSTEN

Indian Minerals
Yearbook 2013
(Part- II : Metals & Alloys)
52nd Edition
TUNGSTEN
(FINAL RELEASE)

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF MINES
INDIAN BUREAU OF MINES
Indira Bhavan, Civil Lines,
NAGPUR 440 001
PHONE/FAX NO. (0712) 2565471
PBX : (0712) 2562649, 2560544, 2560648

E-MAIL : cme@ibm.gov.in
Website: www.ibm.gov.in

May, 2015

18-1

TUNGSTEN

18 Tungsten

ungsten is a vital metal of strategic importance.

The chief sources of tungsten are minerals
scheelite (CaWO4) and wolframite [(Fe,Mn)WO4]
which are predominantly hydrothermal in origin.
o
Tungsten has a melting point of 3422 C, the highest
of all metals and it is resistant to all acids at ordinary
temperatures. It is elastic, ductile and has high tensile
strength and can be drawn into very thin wires. The
domestic requirements of tungsten and its products
are met mainly through imports. A significant amount
of tungsten is recovered through recycling of
tungsten scrap products.

RESOURCES
The total resources of tungsten ore in
the country, as per UNFC system, as on 1.4.2010
has been estimated at 87.4 million tonnes with WO3
content of 1,42,094 tonnes. All these resources are
placed under 'remaining resources' category.
Resources of Tungsten bearing minerals are mainly
distributed in Karnataka (42%), Rajasthan (27%),
Andhra Pradesh (17%) and Maharashtra (9%). The
remaining 5% resources are in Haryana, Tamil Nadu,
Uttarakhand and West Bengal (Table - 1).
At Degana, Rajasthan, WO3 value in vein
deposits varies from 0.25 to 0.54% while in gravel
deposit, it is on an average of 0.04%. In Sirohi deposit,
Rajasthan, WO3 content ranges from 0.02 to 2.2%.
In West Bengal, Bankura deposit contains an average
of 0.1% WO3. In Kuhi-Khobana-Agargaon belt, GSI
has identified seven mineralised zones in Sakoli basin
in Bhandara and Nagpur districts, Maharashtra. The
analysis showed 0.01 to 0.19% WO3 in Kuhi block, 0.13
to 0.38% WO3 in Khobana block and 0.48% WO3 in
Pardi-Dahegaon-Pipalgaon block. The deposit contains
an average of 0.17% WO3 . Gold ore at Mysore mine of
BGML in Karnataka has been reckoned as a potential
source of scheelite. The tailing dumps at Kolar Gold
Fields contain about 0.035 to 0.18% WO3.

EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT

Reconnaissance stage investigation (G-4) was
carried out in Bundelkhand Granitoid Complex located
at Jhansi and Mahoba Districts of Uttar Pradesh to

assess tungsten & associated mineralisation.

Dissemination of fine specks of chaclopyrite and pyrite
occurs discontinously in quartz reef in Habupura area
over an extent of 200 m with a width of 10 -50 cm. Night
surveys with UV lamp indicated bluish white
fluorescence of scheelite in the quartz reef from
Bhasneh area in Jhansi district, Uttar Pradesh. The
analytical results indicated very low tungsten values
ranging from <0.5 to 1001.24 ppm, the maximum value
recorded was from the quartz reef of Bhasneh area.

PRODUCTION & PRICES

There was no production of tungsten ore/
concentrate during 2012-13. The past production
of tungsten was reported from Degana, Rajasthan
and Chendapathar, West Bengal.The domestic
prices of tungsten ore and concentrate are
furnished in the General Review on 'Prices'.

MINING & PROCESSING

Deposits of wolframite that were established at
Degana in Rajasthan and at Chendapathar in West
Bengal are found associated with quartz veins, with
width that varied from a few centimetres to three
metres or sometimes even more. In Degana,
Rajasthan, it is also associated with gravel beds
overlain by 2.5 m thick sand.
Gravel mining was carried out in the past in selected
areas where wolframite was found to be concentrated.
Here the overburden sand was at first loosened and
loaded manually and transported by tractor unit to
dump sites. The payable gravel was then worked.
In case of vein deposits, the ore body was
cut with chisel and hammer at convenient places,
to form undercuts. At Degana, Rajasthan,
tungsten orebody occurs as vein, stockwork and
alluvial deposits. Inclined veins were developed
by putting adits in the stockwork.
Degana in Rajasthan and Chendapathar in
West Bengal were the only operative mines of
tungsten in India that produced meagre quantities
of concentrate.The mines, owing to economic
non-viability, had to be closed down.

18-2

Table 1 : Reserves/Resources of Tungsten as on 1.4.2010

(By Grades/States)
(In tonnes)
Remaining resources
Feasibility
STD211

Pre-feasibility
STD222

All India : Total

Ore
Contained WO 3

2230000
3568

173063
450

19611152
9914

By States
Andhra Pradesh
Ore
Contained WO3

Haryana
Ore
Contained WO3

2230000
3568

Karnataka
Ore
Contained WO3

Maharashtra
Ore
Contained WO3

Grade/State

Measured
STD331

Indicated
STD332

Total
B

Total
resources
(A+B)

18-3

Inferred
STD333

Reconnaissance
STD334

23435954
20180.92

25356049
103415.15

16581246
4566.28

87387464
142094.35

87387464
142094.35

3640000
5096

4700800
6574.64

5952500
8273.65

509000
318.28

14802300
20262.57

14802300
20262.57

2230000
3568

2230000
3568

15361152
2915

11805499
1775

172921
142

9338246
1403

36677818
6235

36677818
6235

610000
1903

5637250
10304

1830000
3828

8077250
16035

8077250
16035

Rajasthan
Ore
Contained WO3

963666
1421.44

17000628
90171.5

5964000
2115

23928294
93707.94

23928294
93707.94

Tamil Nadu
Ore
Contained WO3

250000
50

250000
50

250000
50

Uttarakhand
Ore
Contained WO3

138000
25

520000
680

658000
705

658000
705

West Bengal
Ore
Contained WO3

173063
450

190739
80.84

400000
1000

763802
1530.84

763802
1530.84

TUNGSTEN

Reserve
Total
(A)

TUNGSTEN

USES

POLICY

Tungsten is mainly used in the form of ferrotungsten in making of special and alloy steels.
Ferro-tungsten typically contains between 25%
and 75% tungsten. The other principal use of
tungsten is in the manufacture of tungsten
carbide, one of the hardest synthetic materials
used in various industries. It is used widely in
the manufacture of cutting tools & devices and in
wear-resistant materials, particularly those that
need to be operated at high temperatures.
Tungsten wires form the filament in incandescent
light bulbs and cathodes for electronic tubes.
The metal is used in superalloys with copper or
silver and in Chemical Industry. It is also used in
armour plate and armour-piercing ordnance.
Tungsten compounds are used in dyes and
pigments; manufacture of paints & printing ink;
and also in Ceramic Industry for producing
yellow tint. Other alloys bearing tungsten have
wide range of applications, i.e., ornaments, heat
sinks, radiation shielding, weights & counterweights, wear-resistant parts & coatings etc.

As per the Foreign Trade Policy, 2009-14, the

imports and exports of tungsten ores and
concentrates can be made freely.

SUBSTITUTES
Titanium, tantalum and niobium carbides
can be used in certain wear-resistant applications.
Molybdenum tool steels and tungsten tool
steels are interchangeable. In some cutting
tool applications, bulk ceramic is an alternative.
Tungsten remains essentially unsubstitutable in
its use for production of filaments, electrodes,
and contacts in lamp & lighting applications.
However, an electrodeless, non-tungsten lamp is
available as alternative for commercial and
industrial uses. In some applications, substitution
would most often result in increased cost or
reduction in product performance.

CONSUMPTION
The entire domestic requirement of tungsten
ore/ concentrates is met by imports. Sandvik Asia
Pvt. Ltd, Pune, Maharashtra,Widia (India) Ltd,
Bengaluru, Karnataka, and Rapicut Carbides Ltd,
Ankaleshwar, Gujarat, Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd,
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and Sunflag Iron &
Steel Co. Ltd, Bhandara, Maharashtra were the
important consumers of ferro-tungsten for
production of alloy steel.
The world mine production of tungsten in
terms of metal content in 2012 increased slightly
to 74,842 tonnes from 74,741 tonnes in 2011.
China was the leading producer (83%), followed
by Russia (6%) and Bolivia (2%) (Table-3).
Annual consumption of tungsten ore/
concentrate and ferro-tungsten during the year
2012-13 is estimated at 538 tonnes and 18 tonnes
respectively.

WORLD REVIEW
The world reserves of tungsten in terms of
metal content are about 3.5 million tonnes,
distributed broadly amongst China (54%), Canada
(8%), Russia (7%) and USA (4%) (Table -2).
Table 2 : World Reserves of Tungsten
(By Principal Countries)
(In '000 tonnes of Tungsten content)
Country
World: Total (r ounded)

TECHNICAL POSSIBILITIES
Further development of new metal shaping
methods, i.e., laser is becoming a viable
proposition. Development of new cutting tool
materials could reduce the usage of tungsten.
Use of tungsten scrap could be increased.
Tungsten compounds could be used in lightsensitive applications.

Reserves
3500

Austria

10

Bolivia

53

Canada
China

290
1900

Portugal

250

USA

140

Other countries

853

Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries, 2014.

18-4

Russia

TUNGSTEN

Table 3: World Mine Production of Tungsten

(By Principal Countries)

UK

(In tonnes of metal content)

Country
World: Total
Austria
Bolivia
Canada
(e)
China
Korea, Dem.
(e)
Peoples Rep. of
Peru
Portugal*
(e)
Russia
Rwanda
Spain
Thailand*
Uzbekistan(e)
Other countries

2010

2011

2012

60795
975
1203
364
51287

74741
861
1418
2368
61802

74842
706
1500
2505
62000

100
716
799
3000
630
303
481
300
637

100
546
818
4200
950
425
229
300
724

100
365
763
4200
1105
496
107
300
695

Wolf Minerals Ltd was studying the

feasibility of redeveloping the Hemerdon tungstentin-mine near Plymouth. The open pit mine and
beneficiation plant are expected to produce
approximately 2,700 tonnes per year of tungsten in
wolframite concentrate and 450 tonnes per year of
tin in concentrates for a minimum of 10 years.

FOREIGN TRADE
Exports
Exports of tungsten alloys and scrap
decreased drastically to 409 tonnes in 2012-13 from
638 tonnes in the previous year. Exports were
mainly to USA (35%), Germany (25%), Sweden
(10%), UK (8%) and Italy (3%). In 2012-13 exports
of tungsten ores & concentrates decreased
considerably to 93 tonnes as against 321 tonnes
in the preceding year (Tables- 4 and 5).

Source: World Mineral Production, 2008-2012.

* Wolframite & Scheelite.

Canada
North American Tungsten Corp. Ltd (NATC)
(Va n c o u v e r ) c o n t i n u e d t o i n v e s t i n c a p i t a l
improvement to extend the Life of its Cantung Mine
in the Northwest territories and to strengthen
operating performance. Production of tungsten in
scheelite concentrates was incrased by 12%.

China
In 2012, China's production of concentrates
increased to 62,000 tonnes of contained tungsten.
Despite its position as the world's leading miner
of tungsten, China has imported significant
quantities of tungsten concentrate in recent years.
China's Government maintained a programme to
conserve its tungsten resources to ensure that
its tungsten supply would meet anticipated
demand.

Imports
Imports of tungsten ores and concentrates
drastically decreased to 107 tonnes in 2012-13
from 327 tonnes in the previous year. Imports
are mainly from UK, Czech Republic and South
Africa. Imports of tungsten and alloys including
scrap decreased to 100 tonnes in 2012-13 from 154
tonnes in the previous year. Imports were mainly
from China (41%), Singapore (16%), Austria (11%)
and USA (10%). (Tables - 6 to 8).
Table 4 : Exports of Tungsten and Alloys
Incl. Scrap
(By Countries)
2011-12

Rep. of Korea
State-run Korea Resources Corp. planned to
increase its stock pile of various metals, including
tungsten. The new target was to stock the
equivalent of 60 days of domestic consumption
by 2016.

2012-13

Country

All Countries

Rawanda
Tinco Investments Ltd (London, United
Kingdom) was investing in its Nayakabingo
tungsten mine, Northwest of Kigali Tinco planned
to increase production of Wolfram concentrates
from 35 to 40 metric tonnes per month to 70 metric
tonnes per month.
18-5

Qty
(kg)

Value
(`000)

Qty
(kg)

Value
(`000)

638430

1423388

408664

1951349

Germany

280028

456000

100523

504413

USA

175897

373748

140991

351347

UK

25228

41283

33326

262410

Poland

5949

46508

10597

181912

Sweden

28106

66824

39290

100418

Iran

5844

21492

9294

83967

France

4141

43788

4537

58381

Brazil

12542

45647

3106

46907

Japan

985

24614

937

39710

33259

52523

13869

37707

Other countries 66451

250961

52194

284177

Italy

TUNGSTEN

Table 5 : Exports of Tungsten Ores & Conc.

(By Countries)
2011-12

2012-13

Country

All Countries
Vietnam

Qty
(t)

Value
(L000)

Qty
(t)

Value
(L 0 0 0 )

321

63393

93

9198

73

4131

313

54216

4110

Italy

16

956

Other countrires

9177

++

UK

Table 6 : Imports of Tungsten Ores & Conc.

(By Countries)
2011-12

2012-13

Country

All Countries

Qty
(t)

Value
(L000)

Qty
(t)

Value
(L 0 0 0 )

327

5179

107

28762

UK

39

13987

USA

16

9349

South Africa

13

1813

Singapore

1455

Japan

++

1186

25

858

10

359

277

3516

326

Czech Republic

24

286

Other countries

25

805

++

Nigeria
Israel

Table 7: Imports of Tungsten & Alloys Incl. Scrap

(By Countries)
2011-12
Country

All Countries
China
Singapore
USA
Korea Rep.of
Germany
Austria
Poland
Chinese Taipei/Taiwan
Belgium
France
Other countries

2012-13

Qty
(kg)

Value
(L 0 0 0 )

Qty
(kg)

Value
(L 0 0 0 )

154308
31997
41274
21358
1084
12845
7689
1363
647
77
6024
29950

258624
66446
49817
24928
1693
38667
9191
2557
1022
422
15902
47979

99825
40788
16348
10202
5617
7413
10869
1449
1948
1025
716
3450

255088
110381
38107
28727
20479
14466
13477
4617
3675
3626
3131
14402

18-6

TUNGSTEN

Table 8 : Imports of Tungsten

(By Items)
2011-12

2012-13

Item
Qty
(kg)

Value
(L 0 0 0 )

Qty
(kg)

Value
(L000)

637994

1634925

462557

1656481

Tungsten & alloys, unwrought

305291

670619

224201

630766

Tungsten & alloys, worked Nes

154308

258624

99825

255088

Tungsten powder

150983

411995

124376

375678

Tungsten filament

52147

102325

19962

86790

Tungsten, unwrought

21783

245036

20407

76514

3480

5123

258773

616945

194507

857288

All Items

Tungsten waste & scrap

Tungsten wire

FUTURE OUTLOOK
Demand for tungsten tends to follow general
economic conditions and is expected to increase
along with the improvement in economy. World
tungsten supply will continue to be dominated
by Chinese production and exports. Future supply

from China will be affected by the Chinese

Government's success or failure in controlling the
release of Tungsten material to the market.
In India, the entire demand can only be met
by imports, as there is no indigenous production
of tungsten concentrates.

18-7