Manganese

What it is

Manganese (Mn, atomic number 25) is the fourth most commonly mined metal by volume and has no satisfactory substitute in its major applications (USGS 2026). Roughly 90% of annual output feeds steelmaking as ferromanganese and silicomanganese: these alloys desulfurize and deoxidize molten steel and improve toughness, hardness, and hardenability, consuming about 6 to 8 kg of manganese per tonne of steel produced. The remaining demand splits among electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD) in alkaline dry-cell batteries, manganese sulfate in animal-feed additives and fertilizers, and, increasingly, high-purity manganese sulfate monohydrate (HPMSM) for lithium-ion battery cathodes.

As of 2025, the main producers are South Africa, Gabon, Ghana, and Australia. The United States produces no manganese domestically and is entirely import-dependent, drawing supply from Gabon (23%), South Africa (21%), Malaysia (11%), and Australia (10%) in 2025. China controls approximately 95% of global battery-grade HPMSM refining capacity (IEA 2025), making the battery-value-chain a concentration risk separate from the mining geography.

History

Robert Hadfield's 1882 invention in Sheffield, England of manganese steel (12 to 14% manganese content) established the metal's industrial foundation: extreme toughness under impact for mining equipment, rail switches, and armor plate. Through the 20th century, South Africa's Kalahari Manganese Field and Gabon's COMILOG mine became the dominant seaborne ore suppliers; the United States, without viable domestic deposits, maintained Cold War strategic stockpiles. Chinese steel growth in the 2000s and 2010s made South32's GEMCO mine at Groote Eylandt in Australia's Northern Territory the largest single seaborne ore exporter. CATL's scaling of lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) chemistry from 2021 opened a structurally different demand stream: battery-grade HPMSM, refining capacity for which remained concentrated in China.

Current state

South Africa holds the world's largest manganese resource base: the Kalahari Manganese Field in the Northern Cape province hosts an estimated 40% of global manganese geological resources. South32's GEMCO mine completed its production ramp in FY2026 following damage from Cyclone Megan in 2024, shipping approximately 3.2 million wet tonnes of ore, most of it to Chinese steel mills. In Gabon, the government issued Presidential Decree 2026-089 in March 2026 banning the export of unprocessed manganese ore effective January 1, 2029, requiring COMILOG, a subsidiary of France's Eramet, to build in-country processing capacity within three years.

Battery demand is rising sharply. LMFP's share of Chinese EV battery installations reached approximately 18% in 2025, up from 9% in 2024, because LMFP uses roughly 7 to 8 times more manganese per kWh than standard lithium iron phosphate. The IEA's 2025 Global Critical Minerals Outlook found that announced HPMSM projects cover only about 55% of expected 2035 battery demand under current policy settings. South Africa's Manganese Metal Company commissioned Africa's first battery-grade HPMSM plant at Nelspruit on June 11, 2026, with a Phase 1 nameplate of 6,000 tonnes per year, detailed in the LMFP and HPMSM developments of 2026.

Relationships

Manganese sits at the intersection of the global steel supply chain and the emerging battery supply chain, and both streams run through China. Chinese steel mills absorb the largest share of seaborne manganese ore; Chinese cathode producers control the HPMSM refining the battery stream requires. Gabon's COMILOG is a pivotal node: the world's third-largest manganese producer and Eramet's largest earnings contributor, making the 2029 export ban a test for the French group. The United States and the European Union both list manganese as a critical or strategic raw material. The US Inflation Reduction Act Section 45X advanced manufacturing production credit covers HPMSM manufacturing, incentivising domestic refining projects.

What to watch

Whether Gabon enforces the January 2029 ore-export ban and whether Eramet accelerates COMILOG's in-country processing investment or negotiates an exemption from the Gabonese government. LMFP adoption outside China: European and US battery gigafactories specifying LMFP chemistry would drive Western demand for HPMSM from near zero to material volumes. The US North Star HPMSM project (Electric Metals USA, Minnesota, 100,000 tpa nameplate, US$474.8 million pre-production capital) needs a feasibility study and US Department of Energy loan support to advance. China's share of global HPMSM refining as new South African and potentially Australian processing capacity comes online. South32's GEMCO reserve profile, guiding production through approximately 2040, is the primary constraint on Australian seaborne ore availability.