134 MINERALS YEARBOOK, 1941

Refined primary pig lead available for consumption in the United States,
1937—41, in
short tons

1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
Supply:
Imports --                     Production                     


Withdrawn: Exports                Supply available for consumption      

2,238
467,317
1,905
383,669
5,388
484, oas
149,889
533,179
1 179,086
570,967

469,555
20,091
85,574
845,866
489,423
74,392
683, 068
449,079
(2)
1 13,494

449,464
339,708
415,031
633,989
(2)
 1 Figures cover January to September, inclusive.
 2 Figures not available for publication.
 2lncludes small quantity of "sheets and pipes"; figures not separable.
 Includes 25~324 tOns of foreign refined lead re-exported, according to American
Bureau of Metal Statistics; official figures not available.


 Consumption —Consumption of lead in the United States during 1941
broke all records. The metal not only served as a war material in military
applications and other defense uses but was called upon to help relieve the
shortage of other metals, includmg aluminum, copper, zinc, and tin. Owing
to the return of large quantities of secondary lead in discarded and obsolete
articles and from the lead-consuming industries, the total consumption of
pig lead greatly exceeds the supply of new lead available. The following
table gives the American Bureau of Metal Statistics estimate of the total
consumption of lead by industries, 1937—41.

Lead consumed in the United States, 1937—41, in short tons 1
Purpose
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
White lead                        
Red lead and litharge                
Storage batteries                    
Cable covering                     
Building                          
Automobiles                       
Ammunition                       
Terneplate                         
Foil                              
Bearing metal                      
Solder.                           
Type metal                        
Calking -
Castings                          
86,000
57,000
192,000
90,000
45,000
12,000
39,500
6,400
21,700
15, 000
22,000
17,000
15,000
6,000
54,100
71,000
43,000
167,000
60,000
36,000
6,000
31,200
4,300
22,000
9,000
15,000
12,000
12,000
6,000
51,500
75, 000
57,200
198,000
74,400
50,000
8,900
42, 300
6,000
21,800
12,800
20,000
14,000
16,000
7,500
63,100
65,500
59,400
220,200
107,400
65,000
11,000
56,1)00
6,000
23,500
14,000
24,000
16,800
19,200
9,000
85,1)00
85,000
89,100
245,000
173, 000
95,000
12,000
71,500
8,700
45,000
23,000
36,000
20,000
31,000
14,000
99,700
Other uses                        






678,700
546,000
667,000
782,000
1,050,000
 1 American Bureau of Metal Statistics. These estimates are for total consumption
of lead, irrespective of whether its origin is primary or secondary. Antimonial
lead is included.


 The quantity of lead consumed by industry in 1941, as estimated by the American
Bureau of Metal Statistics, was 34 percent above that in 1940 and 8 percent
greater than the previous high level established in 1929. The principal use
of lead is in the manufacture of storage batteries, and in recent years requirements
of lead for this purpose have averaged approximately 30 percent of the total.
Although the lead thus used in 1941 reached a new record high, the amount
was only 23 percent of the total lead consumed, as all uses increased over
1940. This high figure reflects the efforts of the automobile industry to
produce a record number of vehicles before conversion of plant facilities
to war production plus expanded production