645Lithium 
By James P. Searls1 
 
 
 The United States remained the world's largest producer of lithium minerals
and chemicals, although the two domestic producers reduced production. Estimated
consumption declined, despite a very significant increase in imports, primarily
because of a decrease in demand, for lithium carbonate by the aluminum smelting
industry. Exports also decreased, and producers' stocks increased. Estimated
world production increased because of significant increases in Australian
and Canadian produc 
tion of lithium ores and Chilean production of lithium carbonate from brines.

 Domestic Data Coverage.—Domestic production data for lithium are
developed
by the Bureau of Mines from a voluntary survey of U.S. operations. Of the
two operations to which a survey request was sent, both responded, representing
100% of total production. However, production and stock data were withheld
from publication to avoid disclosing company proprietary data. 
 
Table 1..—Salient lithium statistics 
(Shorttons of contained lithium) 
 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 
 
w 
w 
w 
w 
w 
w 
w 
w 
w 
w 
150 
30 
2 
35 
1 
90 
1 
410 
1 
6,900 
5,000 
6,000 
6,600 
5,500 
5,800 
4,300 
4,800 
6,100 
5,000 
2,600 
2,300 
2,600 
2,900 
2,500 
w 
w 
w 
w 
w 
3,200 
2,000 
2,200 
3,200 
2,500 
2,800 
2,600 
2,600 
3,300 
3,600 
United States: 
 Production'____________________________________ 
 Producers' stock changes1___________________________ 
 
 ShipmentsofOovernment stockpile surplus3______________ 
 Supply'_______________________________________ 
 Supplyes 
s 
 Consumption: 
Apparent___________________________________ 
Estimated 
Restofworld:Productione I 
 eEstimated. W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data. 
 
 ' Mineral concentrate and carbonate. 
 2Compounds, concentrate, ores, and metal. 
 3Litbium hydroxide monohydrate. 
 4Production minus inventory increase. 
 5Based primarily on monitoring at the carbonate stage and assuming a 15%
lithium loss during conversion of concentrate to chemicals. 
 6Compounds 
 
 Legislation and Government Programs.—The General Services Administration
reported four sales of lithium hydroxide monohydrate from excess stocks in
the National Defense Stockpile. This material was excess from a 1960's nuclear
weapons program. The stockpile originally contained 46,000 short tons of
material, about 75% of which was depleted of lithium 6 and 
 
possibly contained 8 to 9 parts per million of mercury. In 1985, 8 tons of
depleted material was sold. At yearend, one account contained 15,885 pounds
of depleted material, and a second account contained 11,500 tons of virgin
material and 28,448 tons of dopleted material, for a total of 39,956 tons
of material.